|
|
七夕（たなばた）
Tanabata
(Star
Festival)
７月７日は七夕です。七夕は、牽牛という星と織女という星が１年に１回この日に天の川の上で出会うという中国の伝説にもとづいた行事です。この日、家庭では笹の枝に色とりどりの飾りや願い事を書いた短冊をつけて祝います。また、仙台や平塚など日本各地の都市でも目抜き通りにきれいに飾った笹をたくさん飾りつけてお祭りをします。８月（旧暦７月）にこのお祭りをするところも多いようです。
July 7th is Tanabata, or the Star Festival, in Japan. This event is based
on a Chinese legend, in which Kengyuu (the star Alter) meets Orihime
(the star Vega) only once a year on this day over the Milky Way. People
celebrate this day by putting up big branches of bamboo with colourful
decorations at home. People also make a wish and hang a strip of paper
with their wish written on it. A lot of cities, such as Sendai and
Hiratsuka, also celebrate this event by putting up many beautifully
decorated bamboo branches in main streets. Many of them seem to
celebrate this event in August (July in the lunar calendar) as well.
|
|
|
General
explanation about Tanabata in Japanese - たなばたについて（日本語）
|
Site 1
|
A brief Tanabata explanation
page in simple Japanese from "渡辺組 (a construction
company)" web site |
|
Site 2 |
A Tanabata explanation page
from "星空観望会"
website |
|
Site 3 |
An easy to read Tanabata
explanation page from "Studio Alice" website |
|
Site 4 |
Very extensive explanations
about Tanabata from "星の民俗館"
website |
If you need some vocabulary help, try "Rikai"
or "Reading
Tutor". These are great online
translation tools.)
|
General
explanation about Tanabata in English -
たなばたについて（英語）
|
|
Site 1 |
A good English explanation
about Tanabata from "Holidays & Festivals Around the World" website |
|
Site 2 |
A very detailed English
explanation about Tanabata from "Astronomy in Japan" website |
|
Site 3 |
A detailed English explanation
about Tanabata from "Japan With Kids" website |
|
Site 4 |
A simple English explanation
about Tanabata from "japan-guide.com" website |
|
Site 5 |
A simple English explanation
about Tanabata from "KCC日本語文化クラブ"
website |
|
Tanabata
photos - たなばたの写真
|
|
Site 1 |
Tanabata photo from a personal
webpage |
|
Site 2 |
Tanabata photo from a personal
webpage |
|
Site 3 |
Tanabata photo from "でんき幼稚園"
website |
|
Site 4 |
Tanabata photos from various
personal webpage |
|
Site 5
|
Photos of kindergarten
children making bamboo decorations from "シンシナティ日本語補習校"
website. You can enlarge the small photos of classes with their
bamboo decoration by clicking on them. Nice photos! |
Site 6
|
A webpage with photos of the
Sendai Tanabata Festival from "なるみ(a
paper company in Sendai)" website |
Site 7
|
Photos of the Hiratsuka
Tanabata Festival from "www.shinozuka.com" website. You can enlarge the
photos by clicking on them. |
|
Site 8 |
Tanabata photo from a hospital
webpage |
|
Site 9 |
Tanabata photo from a
hostpital webpage |
|
Site 10 |
Tanabata photos from another
hospital webpage |
|
Tanabata
activities and online games -
たなばたのアクティビティとオンラインゲーム
|
Site 1
|
Online MIDI
sound file for the Tanabata song from "詩吟と健康"
website. The lyrics for this song are as follows:
| ささのは さらさら |
Bamboo leaves
are rustling |
| のきばに ゆれる |
And swaying at
the eaves |
| おほしさま きらきら |
Stars are
twinkling |
| きんぎん すなご |
Like gold and
silver sands |
| |
|
| ごしきの たんざく |
On colorful
papers |
| わたしが かいた |
I wrote my
wishes |
| おほしさま きらきら |
Stars are
twinkling |
| そらから みてる |
And gazing at me
from the sky |
|
|
|
作詞： 権藤花代・林柳波
作曲：下総皖一
英訳： 室屋春光
|
|
Site 2
|
Origami
instructions for Tanabata decorations from "おりがみクラブ"
website. Click on any of the origami crafts on this page, then click
on "おりかた"
for the instruction. |
Site 3
|
A
instruction page making Tanabata decorations from
"なるみ(a
paper company in Sendai)" website |
|
Site 4
|
The Tanabata story in plain Japanese with cute pictures from "Web
絵本 たなばた" website. You can
choose from two versions. Click on "Start" for the version with kanji,
or click on "ひらがなでよみたいひとようもあります"
for the hiragana only version.
|
Site 5
|
Another site of the Tanabata
story in Japanese from "Sendai Tanabata" website. The story is not
really the traditional one. |
Site 6
|
Go to this
page and click on the top one of the two pictures. An enlarged
picture appears. Click on the triangle in the bottom right.
Then choose a level from 1 to 5 (1 is the easiest) and click
on the star in the top right corner. The game begins. What you need
to do is to click on Vega (the princess) who is running around
like a maniac. The game ends when you capture Vega and your score
(time) will be displayed. The entire class can compete and have fun!
(Shock wave plug-in required) |
|
|
たなばた ワークシート（日本語）
Tanabata Worksheet (English)
Back to Nenchugyoji page
Home
This page
updated July 7, 2004
Please
email Shunko Muroya if there
are any dead links.
|
