Tanabata is celebrated in Japan on July 7. Tanabata literally translates to evening of the seventh” and is a traditional festival celebration that was brought to Japan by Empress Koken in 755. The festival originated in China and was adopted by the Kyoto Imperial Palace during the Heian period.
The story behind Tanabata is one of the most romantic myths in Japanese folklore. The story centers around two lovers, one a cow herder and the other a weaver girl. These two celestial lovers are represented in the heavens as the stars Vega and Altair.
The weaver girl, Princess Orihime , was the daughter of Tentei the “Sky King” or “the universe itself”. Princess Orihime was a highly skilled weaver and enjoyed weaving the most beautiful cloth. Princess Orihime dutifully weaved many beautiful clothes for her father by the bank of the Amanogawa river (the Milky Way) but soon became sad because she felt she would never meet anyone and fall in love.
Her father Tentei became concerned for his daughter and arranged a meeting with a cow herder named Hikoboshi who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa river (the Milky Way). When the two met they instantly fell in love with one another and soon married.
After Orihime and Hikoboshi married they were so happy and in love that Orihime stopped weaving clothes for her father and Hikoboshi neglected his cows and they soon wandered all over Heaven. Orihime’s father Tentei the Sky King became angry about this and separated the two lovers on opposite sides of the Amanogawa river (the Milky Way) and forbid them to meet one another ever again.
Orihime was heartbroken at being separated from her husband Hikoboshi and would not stop crying. Her father could not help but be moved by the nonstop tears of his daughter. Because he loved her and felt badly for her, Tentei relented and promised Orihime that he would allow her and Hikoboshi to meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month--only if she finished her weaving.
Orihime worked hard to finish her weaving so she could meet her beloved husband Hikoboshi on the 7th day of the 7th month! She was so filled with joy and anticipation of that day that she weaved nonstop.
When the 7th day of the 7th month finally arrived the two lovers eagerly arrived at opposite banks of the Amanogawa river. Staring across at each other they realized they could not cross and were separated by the river because there was no bridge.
Heartbroken, Princess Orihime began to cry so much that a flock of magpies noticed her anguish. The magpies felt so sorry for her that they came to her aid and formed a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river to the reach her husband Hikoboshi on the other side. The legend says that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come to the aid of the two lovers and they will have to wait another year to meet.
Today in Japan these two lovers, represented in the heavens by the stars and separated by Milky Way are celebrated because it is on this day that they are closest together.
In Japan there are colorful festivals on this day, with food, decorations and music, to commemorate their reunion. The celebration includes people writing wishes on wishing paper and tying them to bamboo trees. The trees are later either burned or floated down river to release the wishes to the heavens.
We all wish for the 7th day of the 7th month to be free from rain so that Princess Orihime and cowherder Hikoboshi will not have to wait another entire year to cross the Milky Way and be together.
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