Japan has so many festivals!
They are called ‘Matsuri’ in Japanese
Every year there are national same day festivals such as New Year Eve, Coming of Age Day, Doll Festival, Hanami (autumn leaf viewing), Tanabata (star festival) and Shich-go-san (for kids aged 3, 5 and 7).As well as many other festivals celebrated by different people on different days.
Also, each town and temple has several festivals a year. When we lived in Kustasu we went several times to the main shopping street to see the different parades.Also, since we have been in Gokasho, there have been a few festivals on in the major city, as well as a small one in our town.
Festivals in Japan remind me of ‘parades’ in Tasmania, there are floats, people dressed up, dancing, music etc paraded down the streets, and then lots of little food stalls and things for sale in the side if the road.Often the priests of the temple wander around playinf their flutes and drums and chanting and singing to their Gods.
The Festivals are pretty much all based, or put on by the major temple in whatever area the festival is held.
Several times I have just been out for the day with no paticular plan and run into a Japanese Festival taking place. The most beautiful one has been the Sakura Matsui, which is the cherry blossom festival in Kyoto city.
Last year in July I experienced the Tanabata (Star) Festival with some of my Japanese friends.
The story goes that 2 ‘stars’ called Vega and Altair were in love.
The two lovers got separated from each other by the Milkyway. On the 7th of the 7th each year, the lovers are able to meet provided there isn’t any rain to flood the Milkyway.
The biggest part of the festival – and one of the things I saw my friends and there children – doing was writing their wishes on pieces of thin paper and then hanging them from a specially placed bamboo free and praying that their wishes would come true.
I asked my friends to translate for me what they had written on their wish papers.
The kids wrote things like:
‘I want to meet ampanman’
‘I want a baby sister’
The adults wrote wishes like
‘I want to become rich’
‘I want my family to have good health’
The festival was named Tanabata after a weaving maiden who was believed to have made clothes for Gods – though there doesn’t seem to be a main reason why it was named after this maiden.
