Tanabata
Well, since I can't sign into anything except my email at work, I guess I'll write myself an email and then post it later.
It's the second last day for me before the summer vacation and all of my classes got canceled today. Jun said he was going to just go over their summer homework and do self-study or grammar so I didn't need to go. Sweet.. but I still have to come to work anyway. So I brought my Japanese textbooks to study because I have done anything except for that bit of studying for the Kanji Kanken but that was a month ago. This book is too easy... well, I'm only on the 4th lesson so of course it is... but it doesn't motivate me to study because it is easy. It's just busy work.
Last Monday was Tanabata. Well, not technically because it's a lunar festival (the 7th day of the 7th month) but it is fixed to July 7th. It's usually called "The Star Festival" and celebrates the one night of the year that Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) can meet. It was a festival brought over from China in the Heian period (794-1185 CE). The festival of Tanabata (or Qi Xi in Chinese) comes from the folktale of the Princess (or Weaver-girl, depending on your version) and the Cowherd.
Orihime (織姫 Weaving Princess) the daughter of the Tentei (天帝 Sky King, or the universe itself) wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Milky Way (天の川 Amanogawa). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, she 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) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and were shortly married. 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 River 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 Orihime 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. If it rains, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait till next year.
I've heard a version where they were mortals and then the gods got angry when they neglected their work so made them into stars and separated them by the Milky Way but she cried so much that they took pity on them and let them meet once a year.
Anyway, from around the time of the Edo period, girls would wish for better sewing and weaving skills and boys would wish for better handwriting by writing their wishes on pieces of paper. That tradition still continues but kids probably wish for different things. Writing wishes on paper, and then tying them to a bamboo tree isn't limited to children, although in (elementary) school all the kids write wishes and tie them to bamboo branches outside their classrooms. I saw a big display outside Toyoshiki Kindergarten that I walk past everyday and also at some shopping centres!
I wanted to go to a Tanabata festival but it isn't that popular in the Kanto region. The biggest Tanabata festival is in Sendai and actually runs during the first week of August, and has become one of the three biggest summer festivals in the Tohoku region.
This year, the 34th G8 Summit was held in Hokkaido and coincided with Tanabata. Prime Minister Fukuda asked the leaders to write wishes in the spirit of the festival and tied them to a bamboo tree and then take the necessary actions to make the world better.
The summer festival season is starting to get underway and I'm really excited. This weekend is the Shin-Matsudo Festival and next weekend is the Kashiwa Festival... and Abiko's is in August sometime. Most towns have their own summer festivals in addition to bigger holiday-oriented ones. There is lots of food, games, entertainment and fireworks! I haven't been out to see any yet, but apparently every Wednesday in July on Teganuma Lake (I think?) there are fireworks. I see a poster on the window of the dry cleaners near school everyday but haven't stopped to really read it yet. Andrew got back from Canada yesterday so I should make him come out here one night so we can go.
It's the second last day for me before the summer vacation and all of my classes got canceled today. Jun said he was going to just go over their summer homework and do self-study or grammar so I didn't need to go. Sweet.. but I still have to come to work anyway. So I brought my Japanese textbooks to study because I have done anything except for that bit of studying for the Kanji Kanken but that was a month ago. This book is too easy... well, I'm only on the 4th lesson so of course it is... but it doesn't motivate me to study because it is easy. It's just busy work.
Last Monday was Tanabata. Well, not technically because it's a lunar festival (the 7th day of the 7th month) but it is fixed to July 7th. It's usually called "The Star Festival" and celebrates the one night of the year that Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) can meet. It was a festival brought over from China in the Heian period (794-1185 CE). The festival of Tanabata (or Qi Xi in Chinese) comes from the folktale of the Princess (or Weaver-girl, depending on your version) and the Cowherd.
Orihime (織姫 Weaving Princess) the daughter of the Tentei (天帝 Sky King, or the universe itself) wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Milky Way (天の川 Amanogawa). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, she 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) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and were shortly married. 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 River 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 Orihime 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. If it rains, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait till next year.
I've heard a version where they were mortals and then the gods got angry when they neglected their work so made them into stars and separated them by the Milky Way but she cried so much that they took pity on them and let them meet once a year.
Anyway, from around the time of the Edo period, girls would wish for better sewing and weaving skills and boys would wish for better handwriting by writing their wishes on pieces of paper. That tradition still continues but kids probably wish for different things. Writing wishes on paper, and then tying them to a bamboo tree isn't limited to children, although in (elementary) school all the kids write wishes and tie them to bamboo branches outside their classrooms. I saw a big display outside Toyoshiki Kindergarten that I walk past everyday and also at some shopping centres!
I wanted to go to a Tanabata festival but it isn't that popular in the Kanto region. The biggest Tanabata festival is in Sendai and actually runs during the first week of August, and has become one of the three biggest summer festivals in the Tohoku region.
This year, the 34th G8 Summit was held in Hokkaido and coincided with Tanabata. Prime Minister Fukuda asked the leaders to write wishes in the spirit of the festival and tied them to a bamboo tree and then take the necessary actions to make the world better.
The summer festival season is starting to get underway and I'm really excited. This weekend is the Shin-Matsudo Festival and next weekend is the Kashiwa Festival... and Abiko's is in August sometime. Most towns have their own summer festivals in addition to bigger holiday-oriented ones. There is lots of food, games, entertainment and fireworks! I haven't been out to see any yet, but apparently every Wednesday in July on Teganuma Lake (I think?) there are fireworks. I see a poster on the window of the dry cleaners near school everyday but haven't stopped to really read it yet. Andrew got back from Canada yesterday so I should make him come out here one night so we can go.
