| Release of the Soul
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What might it be like to love someone so fiercely, with all your being, but only be allowed to see them one day of the year? Imagine how the soul might be released, infused with love, transcendent... able to fly across the universe….
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Tanabata There is a special day in Japan… Tanabata, the Star Festival. It is a time of celebration, for this is the one day of the year that two lovers, the weaver Shokujo and the herdsman Aquila, separated across the Milkyway, get to reunite. It is traditional to hang paper decorations, each containing a wish or a poem, on the Sasaki or bamboo tree. This custom was particularly enjoyed by young village girls who wished for romantic love or improvement in calligraphy and weaving skills. What place does it have in the sophisticated Japan of today? Outmoded and quaint? Or can it remind us of our origins and abilities? Or ask us to imagine what it might be like to release our souls to their fullest expression, where dreams become reality?
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The Legend The Tanabata legend was brought from China to Japan in the 8th Century. There are several versions of the story…. Shokujo, a Chinese girl, was weaver for the Emperor of Heaven. She fell in love with a herdsman Aquila. Their love was so consuming that soon Shokujo neglected her weaving and the Emperor became very angry when he discovered he had no new clothes. So he separated the two lovers -Shokujo was placed in the star Vega and Aquila in the star Altair, each at opposite ends of the Amanogawa (River of Heaven), or the Milkyway. However, the emperor took pity on the two lovers and allowed them to meet one day each year … the 7th day of the 7th month. But how does one cross such a great river? On this day, provided it is fine weather, a magpie creates a bridge so the lovers can cross...
The evening we meet Tanabata is endless Tomorrow starts another year
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The meaning of the Sasaki decorations: Streamers made from colourful washi: symbolize the threads of weaving by Shokujo Senbatsuru: a crane made from origami, represents wishes for the safety and health of the family. In Japan cranes portray a life of 1000 years and cranes can fly all the way to the Milkyway. Tanzaku: small rectangular shaped paper with wishes written on it. Portrays the wish for knowledge and progress in calligraphy. Kamigoromo: paper kimono, symbolizes a person and a is thought to take away illness and accidents from the real person. Kinchaku: a large purse bag represents wishes for thriving business.
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