FESTIVALS/EVENTS

THAT IS CELEBRATED
IN JAPAN

LEONAH CLAIRE SANCHEZ

IVAN KURT DELOS SANTOS
Tanabata Festival
Tanabata ( 七夕 , meaning "Evening of the seventh"), also known as the Star Festival, is a
Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the
deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According
to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year
on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. The date of Tanabata
varies by region of the country, but the first festivities begin on July 7 of the Gregorian calendar.
The celebration is held at various days between July and August.

Display of Edo Tanabata at

Women dressed in yukata at Fukagawa Edo Museum
Tanabata
History.........
The festival was introduced to Japan by the Empress Kōken in 755.[2] It originated from "The Festival to Plead for
Skills" ( 乞巧奠 Kikkōden?), an alternative name for Qixi,which was celebrated in China and also was adopted in
the Kyoto Imperial Palace from the Heian period.
The festival gained widespread popularity amongst the general public by the early Edo period,when it became
mixed with various Obon or Bon traditions (because Bon was held on 15th of the seventh month then), and
developed into the modern Tanabata festival. Popular customs relating to the festival varied by region of the
country,but generally, girls wished for better sewing and craftsmanship, and boys wished for better handwriting
by writing wishes on strips of paper. At this time, the custom was to use dew left on taro leaves to create the ink
used to write wishes. Incidentally, Bon is now held on 15 August on the solar calendar, close to its original date
on the lunar calendar, making Tanabata and Bon separate events.
The name Tanabata is remotely related to the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters 七夕 , which used to
be read as "Shichiseki" (see explanation about the various kanji readings). It is believed that a Shinto purification
ceremony existed around the same time in which a Shinto miko wove a special cloth on a loom called a tanabata
( 棚機 ) and offered it to a god to pray for protection of rice crops from rain or storm and for good harvest later
in autumn. Gradually this ceremony merged with Kikkōden to become Tanabata .The Chinese characters 七夕
and the Japanese reading Tanabata joined to mean the same festival, although originally they were two different
things, an example of ateji.
Story.....
Orihime ( 織姫 Weaving Princess), daughter of the Tentei ( 天帝 Sky King, or the universe
itself), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa ( 天の川 Milky Way, lit. "heavenly
river"). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it.
However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with
anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi ( 彦星
Cow Herder Star) (also referred to as Kengyuu ( 牽牛 )) who lived and worked on the other side of
the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly
thereafter. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi
allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the
Amanogawa and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband
and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed
the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard and finished her weaving. The
first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there
was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge
with their wings so that she could cross the river. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies
cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to meet.
Cultural festival (Japan)
Cultural festivals ( 文化祭 bunkasai?) in
Japan are annual open day events held
by most schools, from nursery schools to
universities at which their students
display their artistic achievements.
People who want to enter the school
themselves or who are interested in the
school may come to see what the
schoolwork and atmosphere are like.
Parents may also want to see what kind
of work their children have been doing.
The festivals are usually open to the A school festival at a high
public, especially at high schools and school in Kagoshima
universities.
PARTICULAR NAMES OF CULTURAL FESTIVAL:

Names

School English name Japanese name

Nursery school Daily life exhibition Seikatsu-happyō-kai (生活発表会)
Kindergarten Daily life exhibition Seikatsu-happyō-kai (生活発表会)
Literary arts exhibition Gakugei-kai (学芸会)
Elementary school
Learning exhibition Gakushū-happyō-kai (学習発表会)
Junior high school Cultural festival Bunka-sai (文化祭)
High school Cultural festival Bunka-sai (文化祭)
University University festival Daigaku-sai (大学祭)
Hinamatsuri
Hinamatsuri ( 雛祭り Hina-matsuri), also called Doll's Day
or Girls' Day, is a special day in Japan. Hinamatsuri is
celebrated each year on March 3. Platforms covered with a
red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls ( 雛
人形 hina-ningyō) representing the Emperor, Empress,
attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the
Heian period.