2017年6月28日

Tanabata : 七夕 : Star Festival

Bamboo “Wish Tree” at the Rokkosan Guide House

The “Star Festival” is celebrated in many countries in Asia. In Japan it is call Tanabata (七夕 in Japanese, meaning the “Evening of the Seventh”).

It is a celebration of the meeting of the lover deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented respectively by the stars Vega and Altair). The Milky Way separates these lovers and it is only on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month are they allowed to meet.

In many areas of Japan it is celebrated on July 7th, but since the seventh lunar month is closer to August, in some places it is celebrated on August 7th.

In modern Japan, this festival is celebrated with many colorful streamers, decorations and wearing Yukata, traditional Japanese summer attire. Also leading up to the festival people write wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on small pieces of paper (短冊 Tanzaku) and hang them on sticks of bamboo along with other colorful decorations. After the Tanabata festival, these decorations are often burned or set afloat on a river.

Every year the Rokkosan Guide House also decorates cut bamboo so that hikers and visitors can write their wishes to attach. When visiting Rokkosan, please stop by to write your wish and attach it. We are looking forward to seeing you!

Some of the Wishes people have left on our Tanabata Wish Tree