「レッツゴー キャム！」Cam, Ikuzo! Come follow Camden’s journey! August 2024
更新日：2024年8月1日
Tanabata and Firefly Viewing!
Tanabata (the Star Festival), which is celebrated all over Japan, fell perfectly on a Sunday this year (July 7th), and I was able to go to the “Tanabata and Firefly Evening” event here in Matsudo.
Tanabata is mainly associated with people writing their wishes on tanzaku, which are small pieces of paper cut into a long rectangle shape, that are then decorated by hanging them onto bamboo. However, this tradition is actually related to an old Chinese folktale which goes like this: Orihime (meaning weaving princess), the daughter of a god of the heavens, is a character who represents the star “Vega” and worked very hard at weaving cloth. One day she meets a male character called Hikoboshi, who represents the star “Altair” and worked as a farmer, and the two of them end up getting married. Unlike before their marriage when they both worked very hard at their jobs, the two of them started to neglect their work so that they could spend time with each other. In response to Orihime not working, the god of the heavens was angry and punished them by putting the Milky Way in between the two of them so that they could no longer meet. But seeing how sad Orihime was after doing so, the god of the heavens promised to let Orihime and Hikoboshi meet once per year, and that day became July 7th. It is believed that by Orihime and Hikoboshi meeting on this day that they have the power to grant wishes and protect people from evil, so it became a tradition to write wishes onto tanzaku and decorate them on July 7th for Orihime and Hikoboshi to see.
On July 7th at Harusamebashi Shinsui Hiroba nearby Matsudo Shrine, many people could be seen decorating their tanzaku strips onto the bamboo leaves, and the fully decorated bamboo trees gave me an impression similar to a Christmas tree filled with ornaments, which I thought was very fitting for a festival dedicated to a day that is celebrated only once a year. Even though it was my first time taking part in a Tanabata event, it really felt like a special day worth commemorating. Outside of decorating tanzaku strips, many food stalls were set up in the plaza area, and there was also a firefly viewing experience set up inside a tent. When I went inside of the tent, in the darkness many fireflies could be seen beautifully flickering inside of a net cage, and it reminded me of when I was back in my home state of Maine in the US around 15 years ago and I would go outside at night time to find fireflies in the wilderness, so being able to see fireflies again after all this time was a very nostalgic experience.
For those who were not able to make it to Tanabata and Firefly Evening held in Harusamebashi Shinsui Hiroba, there will be other festivals and events held at the same location, so stay on the lookout!
七夕とホタル観賞体験
今年は日本全国で習慣として今でも残る「七夕」がちょうど週末に重なり、7月7日（日曜）に開催された「七夕とホタルの夕べin春雨橋新水広場」に行ってきました！
短冊という細長く切った紙にお願い事を書き、笹の葉に飾るのが七夕のイメージですが、その短冊を飾る理由が昔の中国から語り継がれている伝説に繋がっています。こと座のベガという星を代表し、裁縫をつかさどる神様の娘「織姫」という女性とわし座のアルタイルという星を代表し、農業をつかさどる「彦星」という男性が出会って、その2人が結婚しました。結婚する前に2人は順調に一生懸命仕事を務めたのですが、結婚してから直ぐに遊んで暮らすようになり、仕事を怠けて全く働かなくなってしまいました。働かない織姫に怒った神様は罰として2人の間に天の川を挟んでその境の両側で互いに引き離され、もう会えないようになってしまったが、その結末を悲しんでいた織姫を見た神様は1年に1度だけ2人を会わせてあげると約束し、織姫と彦星が会える日が7月7日になりました。織姫と彦星が会えることで、2人の力で人の願いが叶えられたり、人を悪いものから守ってくれると見なされ、7月7日に織姫と彦星宛てにお願いを書いてある短冊を飾る伝統になりました。
7月7日に松戸神社と松戸神社周辺にある「春雨橋新水広場」で多くの人が自分の短冊を笹の葉に飾る風景が繰り広げられ、私にとって飾りでいっぱいのクリスマスツリーと似ている印象を受け、1年に一度だけ祝う日の祭りにとても似合い、初めて参加したのですが、本当に記念するべき日のように思えました。短冊の飾り以外にも、広場に沢山の屋台が出店し、展示舎の中で体験型のホタル観賞もとても人気でした。展示舎の中に入ったら、暗い中にネットケージに多く入っていたホタルたちの点滅している姿が綺麗で、15年前ぐらいに私の故郷であるアメリカのメーン州で夜に出かけ、自然でホタルを見つけに行った記憶を思い出させられ、非常に郷愁を感じる経験でした。
七夕とホタルの夕べin春雨橋新水広場に行けなかった方は、他のまつりやイベントが今後行われるので、ぜひ確認いただき、参加してみてください！
松戸市の「国際交流員」 Matsudo City's Coordinators for International Relations
