Yesterday was the Tanabata Festival, I forgot until I saw the decorations at the community centre where we teach.
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| The entrance to the community centre and the Tanabata Festival decoration. |
At the heart of Tanabata is an old Chinese folklore that made its way to Japan during the Nara period (710-794).
The story is of Orihime, the weaving princess and Hikoboshi, the cowherd. They were so enamoured of each other that they neglected their duties. These two lovers were separated by the Milky Way and only allowed to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. Their reunion depends on clear skies; rain is said to represent the tears that keep them apart.
The festival is celebrated by people writing wishes on coloured paper called Tanzaku. These are then hung on bamboo branches. In many places, the bamboo is later set afloat or respectfully burned, to send the wishes to heaven.
When my kids were little, and I had a lot of students, I would have them write their wishes in English. It was a fun thing to do, write the wishes and make the decorations. Lots of giggles, lots of mess, but lots of fun.
This festival endures today because it is simple, heartfelt, and universally relatable. The idea of wishing for something and then sending that wish out into the world, and believing in the possibility of connection, resonates across cultures and generations.
What would you wish for?
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