Tanabata – Google doodle on centuries-old Japanese festival

Google today celebrates Tanabata with a beautiful doodle. Also known as the Star Festival, Tanabata is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival.

Tanabata is derived from a Chinese myth which dates back several millennia and was first observed in Japan’s imperial courts as early as the 8^th century. 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.

Star Festival or Tanabata was introduced to Japan by the Empress Kōken in 755. It originated from ‘The Festival to Plead for Skills’ Kikkōden, an alternative name for Qixi, which was celebrated in China and also was adopted in the Kyoto Imperial Palace from the Heian period.

The story tells of a troubled romance between a princess and weaver named Orihime and a cow herder named Hikoboshi, depicted in the Doodle artwork. Once wed, the couple began to shirk the duties of their work, and as punishment they were cast away to opposite sides of the galaxy by the bride’s father. He allowed them to meet just once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month.

The festival gained widespread popularity amongst the general public by the early Edo period, when it became mixed with various Obon or Bon traditions (because Bon was held on 15^th of the seventh month then), and developed into the modern Tanabata festival. Popular customs relating to the festival varied by region of the country, but generally, girls wished for better sewing and craftsmanship, and boys wished for better handwriting by writing wishes on strips of paper.

At this time, the custom was to use dew left on taro leaves to create the ink used to write wishes. Incidentally, Bon is now held on August 15 on the solar calendar, close to its original date on the lunar calendar, making Tanabata and Bon separate events.

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