How the Japanese Celebrate Legends of the Milky Way During the Annual Star Festival

Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month, Japanese people all over the country gather together for what is called Tanabata, or the Star Festival. 

The Japanese festival originates from a traditional Chinese festival known as the Qixi Festival. It is purposed to celebrate the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, who are represented by the stars Vega and Altair. The annual holiday is filled with traditions and rich cultural celebrations, beginning on July 7th. 

Today, people celebrate this day by writing goals and wishes on small pieces of paper and hanging them on decorated bamboo. The various decorations and bamboo sticks are then set afloat on a river or burned after the festivities have concluded. This traditional Japanese custom is similar to Obon traditions, where people place floating paper ships and candles in rivers. There is a range of customs celebrated in Japan today for the Star Festival, depending on the region. In addition to the bamboo sticks, common decorations that can be seen during the holiday are colorful streamers, casting nets called Toami, and Kinchaku bags. The streamers are said to symbolize the “weaving of threads”, the casting net is to bring good luck to farmers and fishermen, and the Kinchaku bag symbolizes wealth.

The festival’s origins can be traced back to the legend of the Cowherd Star (Altair) as well as the Weaver Star (or Vega). The stars were said to be separated by the milky way and only permitted to meet one a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. Another legend behind the holiday is the tale of Kikkoden, which dates back over 2,000 years ago. The legend says that there was a weaver princess named Orihime and a cow herder prince named Hikoboshi. They fell so deeply in love and were so distracted by one another’s presence that they began neglecting their jobs. The king was so furious that he used the Milky Way to separate them, only allowing them to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month.  

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What the Arrival of the Year of the Horse Means For You

The Chinese New Year, beginning January 31st, is one of the most popular and exciting holidays on the Chinese calendar. So what makes it so exciting? Well, besides the festive parties and 15-day-long celebration, what makes the Chinese New Year so exciting and unique is its involvement and correspondence with zodiac signs and animals. Each year welcomes not just a new beginning, but also a new Zodiac animal. And with the arrival of 2014 also comes the arrival of the Year of the Horse. 

So what can you expect for the Year of the Horse? 

The coming of the Year of the Horse predicts much good fortune. It will be a year where your romance and your career will reach a point of harmony and peaceful coexistence, something many of us are happy to learn! The Year of the Horse encourages us to reach out and take advantage of the opportunities that are given to us, instead of letting fear, self-doubt, or lack of motivation get in the way. 

And what about those born during the Year of the Horse? 

If you were born in 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 then your zodiac animal is the horse and this year is your year! So what does this mean for you? 

Foretelling of the Year of the Horse predicts that as a whole, your luck and fortune will fluctuate, don't let knowledge of this upset you- but rather, use it to approach the year with caution, care, and above all, strength. When coming face to face with stressors or challenges, seek help from others and search within yourself to find your strength and motivation. 

 As a Horse, you tend to engage in a little self doubt, often seeking approval or confirmation from others before moving ahead with a project or decision- but let this year be the year you become more confident in your choices. 

2014 is a special year because it is not only the Year of the Horse, but specifically, the Year of the Wood Horse. This is important because in Chinese astrology the "element" of wood increases the philosophy of the sign, deepening and strengthening the positive traits associated with the Horse, including action, optimism, and high energy. 

The Wood Horse is also greatly linked with nature and peace, making the usually restless Horse more calm and stable, increasing your ability as a partner, in the romantic as well as professional sense.