People dressed in yukata at Tanabata

Tanabata (七夕, tanabata^?), meaning "Evening of the seventh") is a Japanese star festival, derived from Obon traditions and the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi. The festival is usually held on July 7, and celebrates the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year. This special day is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Young woman in yukata in Kyoto, Japan CGI image of yukata-clad woman Yukata (Japanese: æµ´è¡£) is a Japanese summer garment. ... This article is about the astronomical object. ... For other uses, see Festival (disambiguation). ... Illuminated by the Albuquerque Bridge, Japanese volunteers place candle lit lanterns into the Sasebo River during the Obon festival. ... Qi Xi (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally The Night of Sevens), sometimes called Chinese Valentines Day or Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Vega (α Lyr / α Lyrae / Alpha Lyrae) is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, and the fifth brightest star in the sky. ... For other uses, see Vega (disambiguation). ... Altair Altair (α Aql / α Aquilae / Alpha Aquilae / Atair ) is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the nighttime sky, at visual magnitude 0. ... Altair (α Aql / α Aquilae / Alpha Aquilae / Atair ) is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the nighttime sky, at visual magnitude 0. ... For other uses, see Milky Way (disambiguation). ... A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ...

History

The festival originated from The Festival to Plead for Skills (乞巧節; qǐ qiǎo jié), an alternative name for Qi Xi, which was celebrated in the Kyoto Imperial Palace from the Heian Period. The festival spread to the general public by the early Edo period, became mixed with various Obon traditions, and developed into the modern Tanabata festival. In the Edo period, girls wished for better sewing and craftsmanship, and boys wished for better handwriting by writing wishes on strips of paper. At this time, the custom was to use dew left on Taro leaves to create the ink used to write wishes. Qi Xi (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally The Night of Sevens), sometimes called Chinese Valentines Day or Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. ... Kyoto Gosho (京都御所), or Kyoto Palace, was the Imperial Palace of Japan for much of its history, from the Heian Period, when the Imperial capital was moved from Nara to Heian-kyo, now called Kyoto, until the Meiji Restoration, when the capital was moved to Tokyo. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Heian Period. ... Illuminated by the Albuquerque Bridge, Japanese volunteers place candle lit lanterns into the Sasebo River during the Obon festival. ... The Edo period ), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868. ... This article is about the plant. ...

Story behind the Tanabata

Orihime (織姫, Weaving Princess^?) the daughter of the Tenkou (天工, Sky King, or the universe itself^?) wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the River of Heaven (天の川 Amanogawa). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, she was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tenkou arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星, Cow Herder Star^?) sometimes called Kengyuu (牽牛, Chinese name of Hikoboshi^?) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa River. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and were shortly married. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tenkou and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tenkou separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa River and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tenkou was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies (鵲, カササギ, Kasasagi^?) came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. If it rains, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait till next year. For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ...

The following variation of the story is known in China and Japan: A young farmer named Mikeran (, Mikeran^?) discovered on his farm a robe which, unbeknownst to him, belonged to a goddess named Tanabata. Soon after, Tanabata visited Mikeran and asked if he had found it. He lied and told the goddess that he hadn't but would help with her search. Eventually the pair fell in love, were wed and had many children. However, one day Tanabata noticed a piece of cloth which had once belonged to her robe on the roof of Mikeran's hut. His lie discovered, Tanabata agreed to forgive him on the condition that he weave a thousand pairs of straw shoes, but until that time, she would leave him. Mikeran was unable to weave the shoes in his lifetime and thus never met Tanabata again. However, it is said that the pair meet once a year when the stars Altair and Vega intersect.

Customs

In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku (短冊, tanzaku^?), small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations. The bamboo and decorations are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day. This resembles the custom of floating paper ships and candles on rivers during Obon. Many areas in Japan have their own Tanabata customs, which are mostly related to local Obon traditions. There is also a traditional Tanabata song: For other uses, see Bamboo (disambiguation). ...

 Sasa no ha sara-sara (笹の葉 さらさら) Nokiba ni yureru (軒端にゆれる ) Ohoshi-sama kira-kira (お星様 キラキラ) Kin Gin sunago (金銀砂ご ) 

Translation:

 The bamboo leaves rustle, rustle, shaking away in the eaves. The stars go twinkle, twinkle; Gold and silver grains of sand. 

Date

The original Tanabata date was based on the Japanese lunisolar calendar, which is about a month behind the Gregorian calendar. As a result, some festivals are held on July 7, some are held on a few days around August 7, while the others are still held on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar, which is usually in the Gregorian Calendar's August. A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ... For information on the calendar, see: Gregorian Calendar For the music style, see: Gregorian chant For medieval usage see: Gregorian reform For the music group see: Gregorian (music group) For the University in Rome: Gregorian University This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the calendar of religious holidays and periods, see liturgical year. ...

The Gregorian dates of "the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Japanese lunisolar calendar" for upcoming years are:

1. 2007-08-19
2. 2008-08-07
3. 2009-08-26
4. 2010-08-16
5. 2011-08-06
6. 2012-08-24 (Note: the Chinese date is 2012-08-23 because of a difference in time.)
7. 2013-08-13
8. 2014-08-02
9. 2015-08-20
10. 2016-08-09

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2010 (MMX) will be a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2011 (MMXI) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2012 (MMXII) will be a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2012 (MMXII) will be a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2013 (MMXIII) will be a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2014 (MMXIV) will be a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the video game developer, see 2015, Inc. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2016 (MMXVI) will be a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Tanabata festivals

Large-scale Tanabata festivals are held in many places in Japan, mainly along shopping malls and streets, which are decorated with large, colorful streamers. The most famous Tanabata festival is held in Sendai from August 5 to August 8. In the Kantō area, the biggest Tanabata festival is held in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa for a few days around July 7. A Tanabata festival is also held in São Paulo, Brazil around the first weekend of July. Sendai ) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku (northeast) region. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kantō region, Japan. ... Hiratsuka (平塚市 Hiratsuka-shi) is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... São Paulo (the Portuguese name of Saint Paul) is the capital of the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. ...

Although Tanabata festivals vary from region to region, most festivals involve Tanabata decoration competitions. Other events may include parades and Miss Tanabata contests. Like other Japanese festivals, many outdoor stalls sell food, provide carnival games, etc., and add to the festive atmosphere.

The Sendai Tanabata Festival

The Sendai Tanabata Festival

The Sendai Tanabata festival began shortly after the city was founded in the early Edo Period. The Tanabata festival gradually developed and became larger over the years. Although the festival's popularity started to dwindle after the Meiji Restoration, and almost disappeared during the economic depression that occurred after World War I, volunteers in Sendai revived the festival in 1928 and established the tradition of holding the festival from August 6 to August 8. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 435 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (697 × 960 pixels, file size: 581 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Note: this is a cropped and edited version of the original photograph, found on English Wikimedia. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 435 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (697 × 960 pixels, file size: 581 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Note: this is a cropped and edited version of the original photograph, found on English Wikimedia. ... Sendai ) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku (northeast) region. ... The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

During World War II it was impossible to hold the festival, and almost no decorations were seen in the city from 1943 to 1945, but after the war, the first major Tanabata festival in Sendai was held in 1946, and featured 52 decorations. In 1947, the Showa Emperor Hirohito visited Sendai and was greeted by 5,000 Tanabata decorations. The festival subsequently developed into one of the three major summer festivals in the Tohoku region and became a major tourist attraction. The festival now includes a fireworks show that is held on August 5. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Emperor Shōwa ) (April 29, 1901 – January 7, 1989) was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from December 25, 1926 until his death in 1989. ... Tohoku region, Japan The Tōhoku region (東北地方; Tōhoku-chihō) is a geographical area of Japan. ... For other uses, see Fireworks (disambiguation). ...

At the Sendai Tanabata festival, people traditionally use seven different kinds of decorations, which each represent different meanings. The seven decorations and their symbolic meanings are:

Paper strips (短冊; Tanzaku) : Wishes for good handwriting and studies ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (624x832, 314 KB) Image of a paper strip (tanzaku) Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...	Paper Kimono (紙衣; Kamigoromo) : Wishes for good sewing. Wards off accidents and bad health. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (720x960, 465 KB) Image of a paper kimono Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...	Paper Crane (折り鶴; Orizuru) : Family safety, health, and long life ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (768x1024, 505 KB) Image of a paper crane (orizuru) Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...	Purse (巾着; Kinchaku) : Good business ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 315 KB) Image of a purse (kinchaku) Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...
Net (投網; Toami) : Good fishing and harvests ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 583 KB) Image of a net (toami) Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...	Trash Bag (くずかご; Kuzukago) : Cleanliness and unwastefulness ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 568 KB) Image of a trash bag (kuzukago) Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...	Streamers (吹き流し; Fukinagashi) : The strings that Orihime uses to weave Image File history File links Download high resolution version (208x624, 76 KB)Image of a streamer (fukinagashi) Tanabata decoration, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ...

Tanabata streamers with box-shaped ornaments

The ornamental ball (くす玉; Kusudama) often decorated above streamers in present-day Tanabata decorations was originally conceived in 1946 by the owner of a shop in downtown Sendai. The ball was originally modelled after the Dahlia flower. In recent years, box-shaped ornaments have become popular alternatives to the ornamental ball. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (992x744, 477 KB)Image of Tanabata decorations, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (992x744, 477 KB)Image of Tanabata decorations, photographed during the Sendai Tanabata Festival, held at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. ... Kusudama (薬玉; lit. ... Species 30 species, 20,000 cultivars Dahlia is a genus of bushy, summer- and autumn-flowering, tuberous perennial plants native to Mexico, where they are the national flower. ...

See also

• Qi Xi - Chinese Tanabata
• Sekidera Komachi, a famous Noh play set during the Tanabata Festival
• Mobara Tanabata Festival

Qi Xi (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally The Night of Sevens), sometimes called Chinese Valentines Day or Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. ... Sekidera Komachi ) is a very famous Noh play of the third category by Zeami Motokiyo. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mobara (Japanese: 茂原市; -shi) is a city located in Chiba, Japan. ...

External links

• Kids Web Japan