By Hind Mohammed
DUBAI – Japan celebrates the Tanabata festival every year. Tanabata is inspired by the mythological story of Orihime and Hikoboshi which reminds the Japanese to hold on to their wishes no matter what the consequences.
Do wishes really come true? Indeed, if we hold to our wish it will come true, but never make it our only priority. Instead we should remember to balance our dreams with reality.
Background
“Folktales from Japan” is a fun TV anime show that adapts several folktales from Japan. Kids from Japan grow up listening to or reading about their traditional folktales. However, this article aims to encourage international viewers to take interest in these mythological stories based on the “Folktales from Japan” anime TV show.
What is Tanabata?
Tanabata or the “star festival” is summer festival that is celebrated by the Japanese on the 7th day of the 7th month.
On this day, people write their wishes on a piece of paper and hang it on a bamboo tree, hoping that their wishes come true. In addition, people hang other decorative ornaments like watermelons as well.
Orihime & Hikoboshi
How did the Tanabata festival first start? Well, a long time ago in Japan, there lived a King that ruled the skies.
The Sky King, Tentei, had a daughter called Orihime or the “Weaving Princess.” She was very good at weaving beautiful clothes for the Sky Deities, and her father was extremely proud of her.
One day Orihime felt sick, so her father allowed her to break her routine of weaving beautiful cloth to discover the skies. While Orihime was enjoying her time discovering the skies, she came across a heavenly river which was known as the Milky Way, where she saw a young cow herder named Hikoboshi.
Hikoboshi and Orihime fell in love at first sight and soon got married. Their love for one another caused them to spend much time together and made them forget about their responsibilities to their work.
The King of the Skies, along with the Deities of the sky felt very angry, because neither Orihime and Hikoboshi were filling their duties. As a result, the Sky King declared that Orihime and Hikoboshi must be separated forever.
Orihime and Hikoboshi were very upset, so upset that they cried almost every day, wishing to see each other.
The Sky King could not bear to see his daughter Orihime in misery, therefore he allowed Orihime and Hikoboshi to see each other every year on the 7th day of the 7th month.
Analysis
Sometimes holding onto wishes and seeing them come true has consequences. However, there are other important lessons in the story of Tanabata, Orihime and Hikoboshi.
We can learn from them that work must not be neglected, especially when the work is serving society.
Moreover, we can see that no matter how strict the Sky King is in his dedication to his rule as we see in his separating Orihime and Hikoboshi, as a father he pitied his daughter and allowed Orihime to see her beloved Hikoboshi. So, we learn that no matter how cruel or strict people can be at times, people should always have a pinch of mercy in their heart.
Another important lesson to learn is that there is equality that is portrayed in the story regardless of type of work. We can see the Sky King regarding his own position and that of his daughter and note how he allows his daughter to marry a cow herder.
Learn More
Tanabata on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata
ZU Dubai Campus – Japan Club’s Instagram: @Japanclubdxb
ZU Dubai Campus – Japan Club’s Twitter: @Japanclubdxb
This story was originally published on March 9, 2015. It was re-uploaded on Dec. 24, 2020.
