七夕
Tanabata Star Festival, the 7th day of the 7th month
Traditionally the seventh day of the seventh lunar month

Orihime 織姫 the weaving princess, daughter of the Universe 天帝, wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the heavenly river, the Milky Way, Amanogawa 天の川. Her father loved the cloth she wove, so she worked very hard everyday to weave it. But Orihime was sad because her hard work meant she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, her father arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi 彦星 (the cow herder star), who lived and worked on the other side of Amanogawa 天の川. They fell instantly in love. However, once married 織姫 would no longer weave cloth and 彦星 allowed his cows to stray all over heaven. In anger, 天帝 separated the two lovers across the 天の川 and forbade them to meet. 織姫 became so sad that, moved by his daughters tears, 天帝 allowed them to meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month. But, the first time they tried to meet, they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. 織姫 cried so much that a flock of magpies came and made a bridge with their wings. It is said that if it rains on 七夕, the magpies cannot come and the lovers must wait another year to meet.

Write a wish and hang it from the bamboo
At midnight send it down the river or set it alight.

笹の葉 さらさら
ささのはさらさら　　　　　　　
the bamboo leaves rustle

軒端にゆれる
のきばにゆれる
shaking away in the eaves

お星様キラキラ
おほしさまきらきら
the stars twinkle

金銀砂子
きんぎんすなご
gold and silver grains of sand