Tanabata in Daito 2016

Footage from the Tanabata festival in Daito, Unnan in the summer of 2016.
If you’re familiar with the manga/anime “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” then you probably already know about Tanabata.
Tanabata, also called the Star Festival, is a celebration of the meeting of the deities Orihime (the star Vega) and Hikoboshi (the star Altair.) According to legend, the two are lovers separated by the Milky Way, who are only allowed to see each other once each year, on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month of the traditional lunisolar calendar. They are said to cross a magpie bridge (the star Deneb) in order to see one another. On a clear night, the set of stars known as the Summer Triangle are visible during this time of year. However if it rains, the lovers are said to be separated for another year. The festival is celebrated in the months of July and August.
Tanabata is celebrated by eating summer foods, dressing in yukata, and writing wishes on slips of paper called tanzaku to be tied to bamboo trees. After the festival, the tanzaku are usually set to sea or burned. Another Tanabata tradition is eating watermelon and competing to see who can spit the seeds the farthest. Watermelon are often incorporated into Tanabata decorations and parades. Daito’s Tanabata festival is certainly not lacking in watermelon or wishing trees.
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Song used: Kyoto, Japan - Royalty Free Music

[@mysteryelfff]

japan has some amazing festivals

[@DaDeathNote]

Such a pretty festival c:

[@user-hr8ck7br9z]

what was this festival about?

[@Phairyn.]

I just updated the video description with info about Tanabata!