Tanabata - Japanese

Hello! I am Tanabata, the Star Festival. My story is a very special one about the night sky. It is about two stars named Orihime and Hikoboshi. They are friends who love each other very much. But the sky is so big, and they live far apart. They can only meet one time every year. That special time happens on my day. People look up at the sky and think about this story when they observe me.

To get ready for my arrival, people decorate in a beautiful way. They find tall, green bamboo branches with lots of leaves. Then, they hang many colorful things on them. They use long, bright paper streamers that dance in the wind. Red, blue, yellow, and green paper makes the branches look like a rainbow. They also add other pretty ornaments they have made. The decorated bamboo looks so bright and happy. It is a cheerful way to welcome the two stars to meet.

My traditions also include making wishes. People write their hopes and dreams on small, colorful strips of paper. These special paper strips are called tanzaku. A person might wish to be a good artist or to make a new friend. After writing their wish, they carefully tie the tanzaku onto the bamboo branches. The wishes flutter in the breeze next to the other decorations. People hope their wishes will travel up to the sky and come true. It is a time for hope, just like Orihime and Hikoboshi get their wish to see each other.