The Washi Candle Night

This weekend is called the “Evening of the Seventh”, or simply “Tanabata.” It is a Japanese festival which celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime (the Weaving Princess), the daughter of the Sky King, and Hikoboshi, a cowman. According to legend, the Milky Way separates the lovers, and they can only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month.

To celebrate their meeting this year, “3700 candles have been placed in front of Tokyo’s Zojoji Temple, curving their way to Tokyo Tower and creating an illusion of twinkling stars reaching up to the sky.”

The installation, known as Washi Candle Night, is on display for two nights only: July 6 -7. The candles are wrapped in traditional washi paper and are lit between 6PM – 9PM, weather permitting.

Hoping that it won’t rain on this fateful day. If it rains, the two deities cannot meet and must wait again for another year.

(Image Credit: Noriake Sato/ Sankei News)


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