The Star Festival (Tanabata Festival)
Working in a Japanese-dominated company has given me the chance to learn and understand the beautiful culture of Japan without actually going there. For a few years now, we have celebrated this festival in our workplace. Today marks a special day in Japan. If Europe has its star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, Japan and China (where the Tanabata Festival originated) have Orihime and Hikoboshi. Legend says that Orihime, the daughter of a god, had a job to weave elegant and beautiful clothes for the gods beside a river (Milky Way). And since this job requires a lot of time and effort, Orihime grew lonely. Seeing that his daughter is sad, her father arranged for her to meet a cow herder named Hikoboshi, who lived on the other side of the Milky Way. And just like any other love story we know, both fell in love at first sight and immediately got married. Orihime and Hikoboshi, after getting married, neglected their responsibilities. She stopped weaving clothes and he stopped herdin