By: Alex
To celebrate Tanabata (Star Festival), on the evening of last Sunday (July 7), 70,000 LED lights called “Prayer Stars” (Prayer Stars) were released along a section of the Okawa River near Osaka Castle in Japan.Emitting a serene blue glow, the lights drifted along the river, creating a celestial Milky Way on the ground.
▲ (Photo by yusei_view @IG)
The event, now in its tenth year and known as the “Reiwa Osaka Galaxy Legend” (Reiwa Osaka Galaxy Legend, meaning "Reiwa Era Osaka Galaxy Legend"), is held annually on the evening of July 7 along the Okawa River between Tenma Bridge and Kitahama in Osaka City, unless weather conditions such as rain force a cancellation.Each “Prayer Star” used in the event has a diameter of 8.5 cm, and all lights released into the river are collected and reused by staff afterward.
▲ (Photo by wasabitool @IG)
Japan’s Tanabata festivals originated from China. Due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, most regions in Japan now celebrate Tanabata on July 7 of the Western calendar. The most traditional and flamboyant celebration is the Sendai Tanabata Festival, which takes place from August 6 to 8. Tanabata is a day for making wishes—people write their desires on long, narrow strips of paper and tie them to bamboo branches, symbolically sending their hopes to the heavens with the upward-reaching bamboo. In addition, the festival features parades and fireworks celebrations.
▲ (Photo by tabokin @IG)
▲ (Photo by yoshiyuki1030 @IG)
▲ (Photo by amano.jun @IG)
▲ (Photo by k_aug23 @IG)
▲ (Photo by wasabitool @IG)
▲ (Photo by fukuchan_foto @IG)
▲ (Photo by ryobit @IG)
▲ (Photo by hase0530 @IG)
Source: The Sankei Shimbun, Advance Japan