On July 6 and 7, the Liberdade neighborhood will host the 45th edition of the Tanabata Matsuri. One of the largest Japanese street festivals in the world, the Festival of Stars promises to delight audiences with a full cultural program.
So make a note in your diary and get ready to immerse yourself in Japan’s rich culture. During the event, the public can enjoy an agenda full of musical performances, folk dances, art, typical gastronomy and many other attractions.
Tanzakus and Traditions: Make your requests and celebrate the Festival of Stars
During the Tanabata Matsuri, participants can place their orders on Tanzakus, traditional colored ribbons.
After writing their requests on the ribbons, the Tanzakus are hung on the bamboos distributed around Praça da Liberdade and the surrounding streets.
At the end of the festival, the organization collects all the tapes and sends them to the Shinto ceremony, which takes place a few days later.
Tradition has it that by burning the ribbons, the smoke will carry the wishes up to Vega and Altair. According to legend, these two important stars in the constellation of Aquila grant requests.
Each color of Tanzaku represents a specific wish:
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- white symbolizes peace,
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- yellow represents money,
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- green represents hope,
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- red symbolizes gratitude,
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- pink is associated with love and
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- blue represents the protection of the heavens.
In addition, the free cultural program includes presentations of music, folk dances, art exhibitions, workshops and performances of traditional Taikô drums.
In other words, visitors have the opportunity to experience Japanese culture up close, exploring the festival’s typical attractions.
The Millennial Legend and Origin of the Tanabata Matsuri
The Tanabata Matsuri began more than 1,150 years ago at the Imperial Court of Japan and became a national holiday in 1603.
Known as the Star Festival, it is based on an ancient Japanese legend that dates back more than four thousand years .
The story tells of Orihime, the daughter of a powerful celestial god, who fell in love with a boy and married him. However, due to the couple’s neglect of their duties, Orihime’s father ordered them to live apart, one on each side of the Milky Way, allowing only one meeting a year, as long as they complied with requests from Earth.
For this reason, it is believed that, at this time, the stars form a bridge in the Milky Way, called Ama-no-Gawa, “Celestial River”. In this way, lovers could cross the galaxy to meet again.
