Bamboo Trees Become Like Christmas Trees On Tanabata (Star Festival) Day In Japan

July 7th is "Tanabata Day (Star Festival)" in Japan. "Tanabata" is one of the major seasonal events in traditional Japanese custom although it is not a national holiday. For "Tanabata" event, people write their wishes on fancy paper strips and hang them on bamboo-trees (Sasa) with various paper decorations just like Christmas ornaments hanging on Christmas trees.

So these decorated bamboo trees are often seen at schools, shopping malls, and even outside on streets in the beginning of July. It is still a very common event where people enjoy participating. It is said that bamboo trees grow straight toward the sky, and with the rustling sound of the leaves it would deliver people's wishes to the stars of Tanabata legend. 

Tanabata legend is a romantic story between two stars in the sky. It was originally imported from China and taken into Japanese custom. According to the legend July 7th is a special day for the star couple because they have a once-a-year date over the Milky Way. Japanese people started thinking the star couple would grant their wishes on this happy day, so people write their wishes on paper strips and hang them on bamboo trees.

This is a kind of "Jumping on the bandwagon" wish making, so people write any kinds of wishes casually, such as "Want to hit a lottery!", "Want to get a high scores at the next exam!", "Want to stay healthy!"  and so on. If you find paper strips and pens beside Tanabata bamboo trees in a shopping mall, it's free to write any personal wishes and hang the paper. 
Please try! Hope you have a nice Tanabata Day!