[Childcare] Tanabata Trivia Compilation | Learn About the Festival

cowherd

Hikoboshi is called the “cowherd” because he tends cattle on the banks of the Milky Way. That is his role in the Tanabata legend.

tanzaku

On Tanabata, people write their wishes on long, narrow pieces of paper called tanzaku and hang them on bamboo. Try writing your wish on paper in your favorite color and hanging it up!

Milky Way

We call the sight of countless stars that looks like a white river the Milky Way. If the sky is clear and it’s dark around you, you can see it with the naked eye. By the way, Orihime is the star known as Vega, and Hikoboshi is the star known as Altair.

Request

It’s said that if you write your wish on a tanzaku strip and hang it on bamboo, your wish will come true. They say each of the five colors of tanzaku is suited to a different kind of wish. Let’s have the children choose their favorite color.

Tanabata

July 7th is the Tanabata festival—the day when Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet once a year. The story of Tanabata is likely to interest children in preschool classes. I hope everyone’s wishes come true.

bamboo grass

Because bamboo and sasa (a type of bamboo grass) grow quickly, they have long been considered symbols of vitality. By the way, it’s said that the five colors of tanzaku (wish strips) each suit different kinds of wishes. Adults might find it worthwhile to be mindful of this.

bamboo grass

It is said that deities come to the bamboo grass, so people began hanging tanzaku with their wishes written on them to make sure their prayers reach the gods. I hope everyone’s wishes come true, too.