Tanabata, the Japanese Star Festival

Tanabata, or the “Star Festival,” is a traditional Japanese celebration that blends two ancient stories:

a local ritual called Tanabata and a Chinese legend of the stars.

Long ago in Japan, people practiced Tanabata—a sacred purification ritual where women wove cloth by clear rivers and offered it to the gods. This was a form of prayer, purification, and connection between the human and the divine.

Later, this ritual merged with the story of Orihime (the Weaving Princess) and Hikoboshi (the Cowherd Star)—two lovers separated by the Milky Way, who are allowed to meet just once a year on the night of Tanabata.

Their reunion became a symbol of love, connection, and harmony.

Tanabata carries a deeper meaning:

It is a day when two separate things—like heaven and earth, yin and yang, mind and heart—come back together, even if only briefly.

It invites us to reflect: What parts of myself have been disconnected? What might I need to reunite within?

A central custom of Tanabata is writing wishes on small strips of paper called tanzaku, and hanging them on bamboo.

This is more than a charming tradition—it’s an invitation to reconnect with your true wish, the one that lives quietly within, beneath obligations and expectations.

Tanabata also follows closely after Nagoshi-no-Harae, a mid-year purification ritual, and marks a turning point in the seasons—

a time for letting go, reconnecting, and stepping into something new.

With its themes of prayer, reunion, and renewal,

Tanabata is a gentle reminder that even if something feels far away, it may still find its way back to us—under the stars.