To start with, it can be celebrated on the exact same date yearly (7th of July due to Gregorian calendar) OR on a "floating" date (lunar calendar) which is around August. As you can see, the date can vary from region to region. It also often also depends on the weather, especially in Kyoto where weather can be quite unpredictable.
This year celebrations of Tanabata at Kyoto Kagai sim was held on Saturday 11 am slt and the weather was more than pleasant. Before the event, Maiko from Hanafusa okiya took lessons and in the midday they started preparing and decorating the area - they hung Orizuru (paper cranes, wish for good luck), Kinchaku (kind of paper bag decoration for good luck in business), Fukinagashi and of course Tanzaku (handwritten wishes) on the bamboo, growing along the path towards a small yet cozy hut where the celebrations were to take place. After they have finished preparations, they returned to the okiya, changed to celebratory yukata and, joined by Maiko Kikutsuru who has returned from an engagement, walked towards the arriving guests.
In the cozy atmosphere of the hut, after refreshments and summer dishes were served, Kikutsuru san told romantic yet sad story of two lover deities making some guests shed a tear, yet at the end everyone looked at the sky, smiling and wishing Orihime and Hikoboshi to meet and never ever to go apart...
No comments:
Post a Comment