By: Muhammad Rayhansyah Jasin
Source: Pinterest
Commemorated every July 7th, Tanabata is one of the most recognizable and blissful festivals Japanese people celebrate each year. It is a love story mixed with dazzling tradition that has been cherished as a day of happiness and hope. On this day, neighborhoods and local communities write their wishes on a piece of paper and hang it on bamboo trees in temples or in front of homes. In this article, we are going to delve a little deeper into this joyful occasion.
We have interviewed one of APU’s lecturers, Professor Rie Askew. She is in charge of the Humanities and Modernity course in APU and has been researching Japanese Literature for a long time, thus has a more expert view on this topic. We have also asked Kentaro Tarada, a second-year domestic APM student, for some thoughts about his personal connections to Tanabata to get a clearer view of the festival.
Tanabata's Love Story
According to Professor Askew, Tanabata (七夕) or the Star Festival originates from a Chinese legend about two bright stars, which in Japanese are called Princess Ori (織姫, represented by the star Vega) and Hikoboshi (彦星, the star Altair), a tireless cow-herder. In the legend, Princess Ori enjoys weaving fondly, and they are both hard workers. Princess Ori’s father, Tentei (天帝 Heavenly God), worried that Princess Ori might not find a suitable partner soon, decided to give her a brief break by introducing her to Hikoboshi. It was love at first sight and they got married.
Despite Tentei’s expectations, however, they had too much fun together, leading Princess Ori to neglect much of her work. Getting angry, Tentei separated them through the large river known as Ama no gawa (天の川 the Milky Way) as a punishment.
"The Milky Way in this story is characterized as a sort of river called Amanogawa (天の川), flowing between stars and planets," explains Kentaro.
Princess Ori, depressed and in despair, begged her father for some mercy. He finally agreed, stating that the couple could meet each other once a year on a day when Princess Ori would devote herself to weaving. She would bridge the river with her beautiful weaving to meet Hikoboshi. In the lunar year, that day falls on July 7th. In this auspicious moment, the couple would visit earth and grant every hope and wish the people have in celebrating this wonderful time.
"That's why Japanese people always get excited waiting for Tanabata to come, the moment all wishes finally come true," Kentaro expresses his feelings corresponding to the enchanting day.
It should be noted that there are many versions of the original legend from Chinese Tradition. This is one of the most popular versions.
Why is it so significant to Japanese people?
“Tanabata (七夕) is one of the five seasonal festivals in the year (Go sekku五節句), and is celebrated on July 7th. Originally, the festival was celebrated on that date according to the lunar year, but today it is celebrated on the same date according to the Gregorian calendar,” adds Professor Askew.
In Japan, the combination of two odd numbers is thought to produce a good fortune. So other seasonal festivals such as Hina matsuri (雛祭りor the Girl’s Festival) and Kodomo no hi (子供の日 or the Boy’s Festival) are also based on this idea and celebrated on March 3rd and May 5th respectively.
The common importance of the five seasonal festivals is to purify people’s minds at the change of each season. Tanabata festival comes after the rainy season and before the Obon (お盆) festival in Japan. Tanabata means to cleanse the dirt and evil spirits accumulated during the rainy season and to become clean before meeting the spirits of the dead.
Usually, Japanese people would speak their hopes and wishes individually at temples and worshipping places spread out across Japan. Most holidays are also celebrated in a serious and dignified way. But during Tanabata, everyone goes out and gathers in fields or open spaces to celebrate the gathering of the two lovers.
"As a kid, I always got nervous and couldn't help myself when Tanabata arrived. At this festival children, youth, adults, and even older citizens would gather and just share their thoughts, talk freely about their life, and enjoy what God has blessed them with in this beautiful life," Kentaro says, getting nostalgic thinking about his childhood days. The festival is famous for the bright day it symbolizes, characterizing a shining and glorious future for the people.
Tanabata is normally celebrated in a large communal setting. Usually, each village or local community conducts the festival in public spaces for the whole day. People will come to relieve their stress from their tight routine. It is also expected that Tanabata always comes during a clear and sunny day symbolizing the happiness of the gods.
Celebrations with Tourists
The Tanabata Festival is celebrated throughout the country, but notably there are three cities where the celebration is very extravagant and draws in a lot of tourists. The most famous one is Sendai City’s Tanabata Festival. In the Chinese Lunisolar calendar, July is apart by one month from the more commonly used Gregorian calendar, thus Tanabata in Sendai is celebrated every August. Dubbed as “the world's most elegant festival of paper and bamboo”, the festival has been celebrated since the time of Date Masamune, the first Lord of the Sendai Domain.
Public places as well as malls and shopping centres are filled with Tanabata decorations. Luxurious bamboo, along with colorful drapes and themes are observed all around the city. Usually, it is observed that up to 2 million tourists come to enjoy the bright celebration held from August 6 until August 8. Other notable celebrations, like in Shizuoka, Shimizu City, and Kanagawa, are also popular as the biggest Tanabata festivals in all of Japan.
Source: Live Japan.com
Personal Memories of Tanabata
During this glorious festival, the level of communication and interaction between everyone is closer than usual. People enjoy and pray not only for their well-being but also for the happiness of their surroundings. Although Japan is known mostly as a reserved society, during this day everyone becomes more expressive and outgoing.
"I could always feel the sense of togetherness during the Tanabata Festival. Other festivals are not that enjoyable because we need to perform some sort of ritual," Kentaro remembers how Tanabata has blessed his childhood. "In Tanabata, everyone has the same feeling, just enjoying life".
Professor Askew explains that just like Christmas, Tanabata is also understood not only as a spiritual event but also as an event to enjoy wearing yukata (浴衣 casual summer kimono) and to decorate bamboo plants.
She adds that in Tanabata, Japanese schoolchildren write their wishes on paper strips which are then hung on bamboo placed in the classroom.
“As a child, I wrote my wish on the strip. I do not remember what I wrote. But I remember I wanted to write something which would be admired by my classmates. So perhaps due to my vanity, my wish did not come true,” Professor Askew expresses her feelings towards this practice.
“Yet I liked this festival partly because I found the legend of Princess Ori and Hikoboshi so romantic ( the romantic side of the story is emphasized in Japan) and partly because it is an event before the summer break. The feeling of the approaching summer break made me very happy.”
“At least, that is my impression,” says Professor Askew.
How is it celebrated in the Pandemic Era?
Source: Kyo no Tanabata.com
The pandemic has brought down our lives in almost every aspect. Tanabata, too, was affected. Festivals around the country have been switching to virtual events. According to Kyo no Tanabata, the celebrations in the City of Kyoto that draw spectators like the illumination show and outdoor gatherings have been canceled. Visitors are asked to stay at their homes, write their wishes on a piece of paper, and send it to the city officials. These wishes would then be collected and displayed in Kiyomizu-Dera Temple on August 16.
Sendai Tanabata Festival 2020 was also cancelled due to the high numbers of infections throughout Miyagi Prefecture. There were concerns that the celebration might become a major ‘spreader event’ for the virus. Due to the State of Emergency Japan's government has imposed in many areas, it is to be expected that this year's celebration was also held online.
With guidance from the school committee, APU React has succeeded in conducting events commemorating the joyful event. Students in classes were asked to write their wishes, decorate bamboo trees, and hang the wishes on them.
"I have heard some stories about Tanabata and I had always wanted to enjoy it myself. However, this year we might not feel the real Tanabata Festival due to the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions, but in the classroom, my Japanese Sensei invited everyone to write their wishes on colorful paper and decorate the bamboo tree. I believe that this small celebration was to at least teach me what the Tanabata spirit is, full of joy and happiness," Antonius Andrew, a second-semester International student from Indonesia, told us about the event. “Next year, I hope I get to see Beppu’s own Tanabata Festival.”
Source: Personal Document
*Note that this photo has been approved to be attached to this article.
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