By Liam Truesdale

On Thursday evening, July 9th, we went to a Tanabata Festival, also called the Star Festival, as part of an extended workday. The Tanabata Festival actually originates from the Chinese Qixi Festival. Tanabata means “evening of the seventh,” and celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi. Tanabata is celebrated by writing a wish on a piece of paper called tanzuku and hanging it on bamboo. 

In DC, the Tanabata Festival, sponsored by the Japan America Society of Washington DC, was held at the Hillwood Estate near Rock Creek Park. There were a few activities like writing wishes and making lanterns. However, the part I enjoyed the most were the gardens, which were just a part of the estate. The nicest part was the section inspired by Japanese gardens. It was fairly small, but very beautiful. My favorite part were the paths that went through the water. 

In Japanese culture, these bridges have a deeper meaning, they represent a transformation. In Shinto mythology, bridges connect our world to the gods and spirits. The reason why they’re so arched is so evil spirits cannot cross over them, because evil spirits are believed to travel in straight lines only.

It felt amazing going through the gardens after walking around by the monuments all day, cleansing even. I had a headache when we arrived at the Tanabata Festival; after I went through the gardens it was completely gone. It had just stopped raining when we got there, so it started to get foggy. The second time I went through the gardens, the fog was at its thickest, and the clouds had parted just enough for the sun to shine through. We could see the rays of light shining through the trees, the only word I could use to describe it was mystical.