Tanabata

By Angela Velosa

Japan as well as many Asian countries preserves their old customs noy only in their way of being or actinf in a society. You can see festivals been celebrate derived from its mother country, China. Another celebrations derivaded from legends in which preserve the tradition of the uses of specual costums, are dedicated the celebration. But this is not the only thing you can find in this grat national fest. To be recognized as a festival, trade is one of the most important things during that night, because tha ks to that, family, friends and lovers have the opportunity to have fun even in a "romantically" celebration. Tanabata is one of the most popular feast for lovers of Japanese culture, specially for lovers of anime or manga, since in many of those stories implement this celebration. But, which is the correct meaning of Tanabata?

Once upon a time, the princess Orihime, better knowing as the weaver princess of splendid costumes for gods of the sky, fell in love, on a dark and lonely night beside the Amanogawa river, with a young sheperd of clouds called Hikoboshi who lives on the other side of the of the river.  After a short time, lovers wherr finally married, but rhis made them forget their daily works. Gods doesn't wear costumes of the stars to light up the nights and clouds took over the sky creating endless rains. The king Tenko, father of Orihime, punished them for being irresponsable, separating the lovers at different ends of that connected the grounds for them not to see each other again. 

After the depression of Orihime, Tenko allowed themto see each other once per year, at the seventh day of the seventh month from lunar calendar. Magpies create a bridge of the wings every year and let lovers meet. Happiness is so big that, according to legend, Orihime and her husband Hikoboshi, make wishes of all those who celebrate the festival of Tanabata, makes true.

The festival is held once a year. These days, throughout Japan, each sector created its own derivations of the festival, although it keeps the main concept. In Tanabata, women use a straight dress with long sleeves and a belt which is adorned with a perfect bow, in addition to this costume, people wear some wood shoes that at first sight it looks really uncomfortable to use. Those suits are called yukata. On the other hand, men although they can wear these traditional yukata, they wear common clothing, like t-shirts, jeans, sneakers and others. Even the youngest children often wear this type of traditional dresses to live the spirit of the holiday. Yukata is not the first thing in this ceremony, for being the party that celebrates the love of Orihime and Hikoboshi, made a wish is the most important goals of the night, this wish is written on parchment and placed in the various branches of the bamboo that will be burned to bring their petitions to be heard, the following day.