Holidays Around the World: Japanese Tanabata Festival

Tanabata is a special day to share the myth of Orhihime, the sky king’s daughter, and the cowherd Hikoboshi, her husband, and learn how they use the Milky Way to reconnect each year. July 7th is the approximate date the “Amanogawa" (the Milky Way) appears in the night sky. Participants at the MHJCA’s Tanabata Festival will write their own wishes on a Tanzaku paper and hang them on bamboo branches. Participants will also celebrate the day by playing the challenging fish water-balloon Yoyo game using a fishing cord made of twisted Washi-paper. Everyone will have a chance to get one Yoyo.