INSTITUTE NATIONAL

“JOSÉ SIMEÓN CAÑAS”

COURSE:
ENGLISH BASIC
TEACHER:
ALMA YANET GONZÁLEZ
THEME:
TRADITIONS OF JAPAN
MEMBERS:
ALISSON MISSEL GONZÁLEZ RENDEROS
ALISSON MERCEDES GÓMEZ GONZÁLEZ
JUANA ALEJANDRA JUÁREZ GARCÍA
KARLA MELISSA AZÚCAR MEJIA
DENIS ADONAY DÍAZ MEJÍA

LEVEL:
2°GENERAL “B”
INTRODUCTION
The Tanabata festival, also known as the 'Star
Festival', is a Japanese celebration that takes place on
the 7th of July. According to Japanese tradition, this is
the only day of the year that the two stars, Altair, and
Vega, can meet.

At this time of year, it is a tradition to write Tanabata

wishes (known as tanzaku) on strips of colored paper
and hang them on Tanabata trees made from bamboo
branches. People also decorate their houses and public
spaces.

Tanabata is one of the five traditional festivals in

Japan known as 'gosekku'. Therefore, it is a very
interesting time to visit the country. However, the
dates of Tanabata vary between different regions.

According to the lunar calendar used in ancient times,

the seventh month of the year is August, instead of
July. For this reason, in some places like Sendai, it is
celebrated on August 7, although the official date is
July 7.

CELEBRATION
The style of this festival varies from place to place,
although most have Tanabata decoration contests as
well as parades and a number of festive activities. The
atmosphere is fantastic, and the streets are full of food
stalls.

Tanabata wishes are prepared on the first day of the

festival and hung on bamboo branches. The next day,
these decorated Tanabata trees are floated along the
river, the sea, or burned as an offering.

The tradition dates back to the early 17th century,

although its popularity fell after the Meiji Restoration
period (1868) and almost disappeared during the
economic depression after World War I. However,
after World War II the holidays became an important
date in the Japanese calendar again.

TYPICAL FOOD OF THE IS

FESTIVAL
Traditional Tanabata Food
Japanese food has an international reputation and the
food during Tanabata will not disappoint. Some of the
most important foods include:

Takoyaki: balls of fried dough with small pieces of

octopus inside. The dish is so popular in Japan that
there are fast food chains dedicated to it exclusively.
Yakisoba: Yakisoba is made of fried noodles mixed
with pork and cabbage. It is seasoned with yakisoba
sauce and mayonnaise.
Okonomiyaki – a kind of savory pancake made from
dough and a variety of different ingredients. The name
translates to “grilled how you like it” due to the
number of possible combinations.
Yakitori – grilled chicken on a skewer served with
spring onions and sauce

LEGEND OF THE FESTIVAL

Orihime ( 織 姫 , the Weaver Princess) was the
daughter of Tentei ( 天 帝 , the Heavenly King).
Orihime wove splendid cloth on the banks of the
Amanogawa River ( 天 の 川 , the Milky Way). Her
father loved her fabrics, and she worked hard day after
day to get them ready, but because of her work, the
princess couldn't meet someone to fall in love with,
which made her very sad. Worried about his daughter,
her father arranged a meeting between her and
Hikoboshi ( 彦 星 , also known as Kengyuu, 牽 牛 ), a
herdsman who lived on the other side of the
Amanogawa River. When the two met, they instantly
fell in love and, soon after, got married. However,
once married, Orihime began to neglect her chores and
stopped weaving for her father, while Hikoboshi paid
less and less attention to her cattle, which ended up
being scattered across the sky. Furious, the Heavenly
King separated the lovers, one on each side of the
Amanogawa, and forbade them to see each other.
Orihime, desperate for the loss of her husband, asked
her father to allow them to see each other once more.
Her father, moved by her tears, agreed to let the lovers
meet on the seventh day of the seventh month, on the
condition that Orihime had finished her work.
However, the first time they tried to see each other,
they realized that they could not cross the river, since
there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a
flock of cranes came to her aid and promised to make
a bridge with their wings so they could cross the river.
The lovers were finally reunited, and the cranes
promised to come every year as long as it didn't rain.
When that circumstance occurs, the lovers have to wait
to meet until the following year.

The Tanabata today

tanabata-zojoji
Tanabata at Zojoji Temple 2019
Formerly in Japan, Tanabata was celebrated by
hanging rectangular strips of paper, which in Japanese
are called tanzaku ( 短 冊 ), in five specific colors:
green, yellow, red, white, and black. These colors
represent the five elements: wood, earth, fire, metal,
and water. On these strips of paper, poems about
Orihime and Hikoboshi's love story were written and
then hung on cut bamboo poles that were placed on the
roofs of houses.

Tokyo tanabata tower

Tanabata at Tokyo Tower 2017
Currently, wishes are written in tanzaku in different
shapes and colors that are hung on bamboo branches
that decorate different places such as schools, temples,
train stations, etc. Some maintain the traditional format
and others give it an original touch. For example, in
the Tokyo Tower they usually have these tower-
shaped tanazaku.

It is said that on Tanabata day, Orihime and Hikoboshi

are so happy to be able to meet again, that they grant
all the wishes that are asked of them. Except if it rains,
since as I have explained, in that case they cannot
meet, so they will not fulfill your wishes.
ALLUSIVE IMAGES OF THE JAPANESE
FESTIVAL “TANABATA”