Here is a post I'm pretty excited about! I don't know why I'm so excited, I just am! :) Well, I learned about something new yesterday and today, that I've never heard of before. Its of a Chinese holiday, that is also celebrated here in Japan.
I want to tell you about it, the way it was told to me, so don't necessarily trust everything I say. Here is something about it (that I'm not reading) from Wikipedia. click. But I want to tell you the best I can based on what my students taught me.
So yesterday was a holiday called: tanabata The students in-class assignment was to brainstorm on everything they knew about the holiday, and then teach me about it, the best they can in English, with gestures, and with drawings.
So a long long time ago, the god of the Milky Way, (or as I learned: 天の川 translating directly to heaven/sky river) was this dad, who was kind of possessive... but probably only wanted the best for his daughter Orihime (actually the star VEGA!!) She was a master 'weaver' (or something like that...they couldn't explain this part well). She spent all her time making beautiful cloth---pure perfection! But since she spent all her time in her endeavors, she didn't have time to find a husband. Then this "Cowboy" came along (YES the best way they could describe the word in English was Cowboy!!) They got married and fell deeply in love. Oh, by the way, his name is Hikoboshi (otherwise known as the star ALTAIR).
They were so happy spending all of their time together that Orihime no longer spent any time weaving. She spent all her days and nights "playing" with Hikoboshi. So the grumpy father separated them. She must weave, and never see her husband at length again. :(
They were separated on opposite sides of the Milky Way, and can never pass. (Just as Vega and Altair are are separated by the Milky Way.
There is only one day out of the year that they can see each-other, and that is July 7th--Tanabata! So it is a really important celebration, for love! The suckie catch is, is that they only get to meet on Tanabata if the skies are clear. But this is rainy season!! The skies are rarely clear! So On July 7th, everyone wishes for clear skies, so the separated lovers can meet once again.
There are many other things that go along with this holiday. Of course, I'm not sure why. But there is a special kind of bamboo called Sasa or: 笹. People are suppose to write their wishes on long strips of origami paper, and tie them to the Sasa.
For at least a month now, the main mall here in Hofu has been FILLED with Sasa, and beautiful strips of paper. I had no idea why. Now I know! I tried to ask both my classes that had this lesson if they only get their wishes fufilled if the sky is not cloudy, and Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet. No one knew. You know how traditions go. There are so many traditions that we don't even know why we do them.
I know -below- isn't right because they are not hung on Sasa, nor are they strips, but for the purpose of English class, they wrote their wishes in English here...
Other things about this holiday---there are special foods to eat. Cold soman noodles. Also some kind of pudding/Jelly with three different layers, and the middle layer being white, representing the Milky Way.
Hmmmm... Did I miss anything that they told me? Maybe...but cheers! And fathers--don't punish your daughters for finding love! I know if it were my dad, he'd just sit down and do the sewing for me, while I "played" with my love. <3>
(point of reference---every Japanese student tries to translate this one verb to 'played' when they really mean "hang out"!!!! No matter how many times I try to tell them, I will still get 90% of my high school seniors telling me that after school they will play with their friends at the mall).
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