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| Tanabata | |
|---|---|
 Celebration in Tokyo, 2010 | |
| Significance | Celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi |
| Begins | 7 July |
| Date | July 7 |
| 2023 date | 22 August |
| 2024 date | 10 August |
| 2025 date | 29 August |
Tanabata (Japanese: たなばた or 七夕, meaning "Evening of the Seventh"), also known as the Star Festival (星祭り, Hoshimatsuri), is a Japanese festivals originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival.[1][a][b] It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. The date of Tanabata varies by region of the country, but the first festivities begin on 7 July of the Gregorian calendar. The celebration is held at various days between July and August.
- ^ Brown, Ju; Brown, John (2006). China, Japan, Korea: Culture and customs. North Charleston: BookSurge. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-4196-4893-9.
- ^ Eder, Matthias. "Review of Reviews". In: Folklore Studies 20 (1961): 301. Accessed June 23, 2021. doi:10.2307/1177332.
- ^ Katō, Eileen, and Kanze Motokiyo Zeami. "Kinuta". In: Monumenta Nipponica 32, no. 3 (1977): 341 (footnote nr. 27). Accessed June 24, 2021. doi:10.2307/2384372.
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