Celebrate Japan's Star Festival: Storytelling, Origami and Tanabata Decorations at Japan Society on Sunday, July 14, 2013 at 2 pm.
Every year on July 7th, Japan celebrates a special holiday known as the Star Festival or Tanbata. On this day, people write their wishes on colorful strips of paper called tanzaku. After writing their wishes, people hang their tanzaku on bamboo branches. Origami designs are also occasionally placed on the bamboo branches in order to enrich the display. In a sense, this is the summer-version of the typical Christmas tree.