Los Angeles Tanabata Festival

USPA NEWS - Streets lined with Kazari and Tanzaku signal in the 5th annual Tanabata Festival held in Downtown Los Angeles, August 9-11. The festival celebrating the Chinese tale of two star crossed lovers forbidden to meet.

The Tanabata festival celebrates the story of "The Weaver Girl and the Cowherder." The story is about the meeting of two stars Orihime (Weaver Girl) and Hikoboshi (Cowherder). Orihime was a clothes weaver that wove clothes by the river bank. The cloth that she wove was loved by many, especially her father. Because Orihime's father loved it so much, Orihime weaved long hours every day to please him. Orihime began to grow sad, afraid her working so much would prevent her from falling in love with someone. Her father saw her sadness and arranged for Orihime to meet Hikoboshi, a cow herder from the other side of the river bank.

Orihime and Hikoboshi met. They instantly fell in love with each other and eventually got married. But when Orihime and Hikoboshi got married their work duties began to be ignored. Orihime was no longer weaving and Hikoboshi was letting the cattle roam free all over. Orihime's father, angry over the neglected work, separated the two lovers and prevented them from meeting. Orihime was crushed over the loss of her husband. Not wanting to see her daughter so sad, Orihime's father would let her meet with her husband Hikoboshi on the 7th day of the 7th month. Tanabata "Evening of the Seventh"