Tanabata Star Festival 2024: Google doodle celebrates the Japanese holiday

This annual doodle celebrates the Japanese holiday of Tanabata. Also known as Star Festival, the holiday honors the divine meeting of the space-loving Orihime and Hikoboshi. Represented by the stars Vega and Altair, the two gods can only meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.

Orihime the sky god and Hikoboshi the cowherd had a fateful meeting one night on the banks of the star-studded river, the Milky Way. The couple quickly fell in love and spent endless hours together, ignoring their daily duties. Their forbidden relationship infuriated Orihime’s father, the Emperor of Heaven, who separated the couple on either side of the river. Torn apart by fate, Orihime and Hikoboshi are allowed to meet again one night a year, on the night of the 7th of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, when Vega and Altair shine brightest in the night sky.

Japanese people celebrate Tanabata by making tanzaku, colorful pieces of paper on which small wishes are written. These tanzaku are hung from bamboo that is believed to reach high into the sky, and are read by Orihime and Hikoboshi. Many also enjoy popular dishes such as somen noodles and chirashi with star-shaped garnishes.

Happy Tanabata!