The streets were packed with people, despite the rain (when will this rainy season end?). Up above our heads were lovely decorations of shooting star type streamers.
Besides the fun streamers from above, there were lots of bouquets of bamboo with long pieces of papers displaying attendees wishes.
Along the sides of the street were lots of vendors selling mostly food and drinks. One thing I noticed right away was that these were not the same food booths as all the other festivals. They seemed to be local restaurants and even clubs like the boy scouts selling tasty treats. I wish we hadn't eaten right before going to this festival because there were lots of things I would have loved to have enjoyed.
One thing that I kept thinking of was the rain. In the fable of Tanabata*, the separated husband and wife were unable to cross the bridge of magpies if there was rain. Since I am so far away from many people that I love, it really effects me to think about the couple that cannot be together because someone else is preventing it. I get that this is just a folk tale, but the same cannot be said for many people forcibly separated from loved ones around the world.
* Super short version: A man and woman got married. The woman stopped making fabric/textiles for her father following her marriage. The father was enraged and separated the couple, making them into stars. They are only allowed to be together on July 7th each year, when a bridge is created by a flock of magpies. Only rain prevents them from being together on this special day.
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