If you could wish for anything at all, what would you wish for?

Tanabata, or the Star Festival, is observed in Japan annually on July 7. It is a festival that originates in China and was first observed in Japan by the ancient imperial court. The festival focuses on the stars Vega and Altair, and marks the once-yearly meeting of the lovers Orihime, the weaving princess, and Hikoboshi, the cow herder. According to the legend, the Milky Way separates these two lovers (represented by the stars Vega and Altair), and they are only allowed to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month - but only if the weather is good! The Milky Way is called “Amanogawa” (天の川) in Japanese, which means “river of heaven”. It is said that if it rains, the Milky Way floods, so Orihime and Hikoboshi cannot meet!

Just as Orihime and Hikoboshi wish to be together once a year, the Japanese people celebrate Tanabata by writing wishes on strips of paper and hanging them on bamboo leaves along with decorations shaped like stars and other items reminiscent of the Milky Way. The Japanese Club wrote their own wishes for Tanabata that have been displayed in the classroom. You can see heartwarming examples from members of the Japanese club, such as “I wish to have a good time at school”, “I wish to go to Japan”, “I wish for all of the earth’s problems to go away and never come back” and “I wish to be a good student” as well as much more in the attached images.

We hope for clear skies on Tanabata so the lovers can always be reunited!

Kind regards,
Ms Tooby
Class Teacher