Tanabata comes but once a year so make a wish for a star

It rained heavily yesterday. I became extremely soaked during a five-minute walk from the place where my clients live to the subway station.

The thundering rain was gone today in contrast. Most Japanese, especially fathers and mothers, must have been relieved with the good weather because it’s July 7. We call it tanabata, the day when Orihime(the personified character of Vega) and Hikoboshi(the personified character of Altair) are allowed to meet with each other once a year. It is said that they lose the chance to have a date if it rains. Today, at least in my region, they made it.

There was nothing for Orihime and hikoboshi more than developing their relationship. They forgot to be diligence. That’s the reason they were forced to split up. I’m not sure where this plot was made(it came from China, I gather), but I think it may have been based on Asian virtue or customs. Being diligent, being selfless to work:the elderly taught us such disciplines. Working hard would be ranked at the highest place. First things first. You can obtain the right to immerse yourself in love after you live up to your duty. That might be what the author thought. Maybe I’m wrong.

Bamboo branches are decorated with strips of colorful paper on which people write down their wishes like Orihime and Hikoboshi hoped to see in person. What would you wish if you were at a tanabata party? Mr./Mrs.Right is waiting for you to come on the other side of the Milky Way? I hope your dream comes true, crossing my all fingers. Yes. The Milky Way will smile at you and permit you to cross over as long as you make a special effort.

Orihime and Hikoboshi…they meet in person around the Milky Way at the Tanabata Day.

Today, I joined in one party as a volunteer, which named “Tanabata Party”. A lot of people from many countries who live in my town gathered and enjoyed the party, learning Japanese culture.

Tanabata is one of the five-periods which called “Go-Sekku”. Japanese feel the importance of four seasons of a year and divide them with Go-Sekku. Tanabata includes the meaning of “The summer is coming”.

At the party, the participants of the party tried to decorate “sasano-ha(means “bamboo leaf”) with their “tanzaku”. In tanzaku, you can write your hope.

Tanabata has other story. It’s Orihime and Hikoboshi story. Orihime is good at weaving. Her cloth is famous for the world she lives in. On the other hands, Hikoboshi is a good labor. They had known who they were and fell in love with each other.

But…love is difficult… The more they loved each other and the more they thought each other, the less they were encouraged to work. “I can’t help thinking about you so much that I can’t work!” something like that.

The emperor, who was cheering their love up, finally decided to separate Orihime and Hikoboshi by flowing the Milky Way between them in order for them to concentrate on thier own work.

The way the emperor did…made them get worse. Whatever Hikoboshi shout, the Milky Way was too wide to reach. Whatever Orihime kept her ear toward Hikoboshi, the stream of the Milky Way prevented Hikoboshi’s voice from reaching for her.

Love is blind…and Love sometimes is like disease… Orihime and Hikoboshi were only thinking about each other, so they couldn’t work more than ever. Finally, the emperor told them that he allowed them to meet one time in a year if they worked too hard. The designated day became “Tanabata”.

But “Tanabata” day in Japan is usually in the raining season, so the stream of the Milky Way often gets so hard that Orihime and Hikoboshi can hardly meet in person. So Orihime and Hikoboshi try to write their hope on “Tanzaku” and put it in the bamboo leaves, praying they can meet in person at the “Tanabata” day.

Today, I got the people writing their hopes on the Tanzaku and putting it in the bamboos. I hope their hopes come true.

Oh, my hope? It’s a…SECRET! hihihi

This is the bamboo leaf…