July 1st

July 1st

taken by a sea turtle
fly to the Milky Way

七月や亀に連れられ天の川

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Today's entry comes from "Urashima Taro" and "Tanabata".

Urashima-Taro is a popular old story. 

Taro Urashima, a young fisherman saved a sea turtle being bullied by children in the beach.  The turtle was a daughter of the Dragon God. She took Taro over "Ryugu-jo", a submarine palace of the Dragon God. Taro stays there for three days, when he came back he became an old man standing on the world 300 years later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urashima_Tar%C5%8D

Tanabata, literally meaning Evening of the seventh is the Japanese star festival, celebrated on July 7th.

A loving couple, Orihime (vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) became lazy after the marriage. The emperor in the heaven got angry and separated them by putting on each sides of "Amano-kawa", the Milky Way. Once in a year, magpies fly to the Milky Way to make a bridge for the couple to cross the river.
People celebrate the day by hanging small pieces of papers on bamboo. Wishes and poetry are written in the paper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata

Tanabata decorations at a shrine.