There are many annual events in Japan, among them there are many people to participate in and there is a high awareness of Tanabata (The star festival) today. I did not know its origin which seemed to know but actually I did not know well, so I searched it.
– Ancient Japanese event “Tanabata”
– Chinese ancient events “Kikoden”
– Legend of Orihime and Hikabi (Orihime represents Vega, Hikoboshi represents Altair)
It seems these three stories combine and is connected to the present Tanabata.
– Ancient Japanese event “Tanabata”
Tanabata is a ceremonial event of purple (Misogi) in ancient Japan, an event to clean up the filthiness (injury). It is said that it was carried out actively mainly in rural areas according to the flowering time of rice every year. In the event, the village girls first came in a cottage in the waterside, weaving the kimono and putting them on the shelves. Pray for God and pray for good harvest, cleanse the village people’s impurities. What was used when weaving kimono was a weaving machine called a hataori machine. Buddhism was eventually informed to Japan, and the event came to be held in lunar calendar July as an event to prepare for greeting the Bon festival.
– Chinese ancient events “Kikoden”
It is an event in China that prays for Orihime weaving and sewing advancement. On 7th July they provided needles and five colored threads to the altar of the garden and pray for the stars. In the latter world, it became an event that wishes not only weaving and handicrafts but also handicrafts such as entertainment and calligraphy.
– Legend of Orihime and Hikabi (Orihime represents Vega, Hikoboshi represents Altair)
Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) who were diligent with each other became lazy because they became couple. The emperor who got angry withe them pulled away from the Milky Way to the east and west. Because the two of them were saddened, the Emperor permitted them to meet only on July 7 in a year. The two stars that sandwich the Milky Way ranked the most light in July 7th (now August 12th) of the lunar calendar, so in China they specialized on this day and created a Tanabata legend .
In the Nara era, Kikoden was transmitted from China, merged with the Tanabata that was in Japan, and became an imperial occasion called Tanabata. Tanabata is a festival offering prayers to the stars, wishing for Orihime to see Hikoboshi, and poetry and sewing improvements by providing five colors of silver, gold and silver needles, and mountain seafood. Offering something to gods, looking at the stars, reading poetry and playing instruments.
And from the Edo era it spread as a private event. It became customs to write Japanese poetry on the leaves of Kaji’s leaves from the Edo period, and it has become an event that wishes to improve not only weavers and handicrafts but also handicrafts such as improving songs and calligraphy. It was from the Edo period that I began to wish by hanging strips on Tanzaku. And now it has become a trend to say that you can write a wish anything. It is believed that your wish will come true if you write it on the Tanzaku and hang it on the bamboo sticks.
Events in China are transmitted to Japan, changing customs according to the times and reaching the present … I think that many Japanese cultures are being conveyed along this flow, again looking at the series of flow the story from “Tanabata” is somewhat like a living thing and interesting.
After that, as a result of the flow of conviction that the culture of the imperial palace bloomed in Nara and Heian period, reviving as culture of the common people in Edo after a long time. As a Nara, Heian and Edo period lover, attracted by the era of culture blossoming.
As I investigated it became fun, so the Tanabata blog lasts two more times 🙂
Next time is about “5 colored strips”.
*Today’s image is “KUNISADAⅡ Genji and beauties decorating a terrace for Tanabata Festival 1858″
from Hara Shobo website
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