Tanabata 2024

This annual Doodle celebrates Tanabata in Japan! This public holiday, also called Star Festival, honors the sacred meeting between cosmic lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi. These two deities, represented by the stars Vega and Altair, only come together once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar.

Sky princess Orihime and cow herder Hikoboshi met one fateful night along a starry river: the Milky Way. The pair quickly fell in love and spent endless hours together, ignoring their daily duties. Their forbidden relationship angered Orihime’s father, emperor of the heavens, who separated the two on either side of the river. Though torn apart by fate, Orihime and Hikoboshi are granted one night per year to reunite — the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, when Vega and Altair shine brightest in the night sky.

On Tanabata, Japanese people celebrate by creating tanzaku, colorful pieces of paper with small wishes written on them. They hang these strips of paper on bamboo trees, which are believed to grow high into the heavens for Orihime and Hikoboshi to read. Many also enjoy popular dishes like sōmen noodles or chirashi, all topped with star-shaped garnishes.

Happy Tanabata!