DAY 12

STAR FESTIVAL !!!!!!!

Tanabata (七夕meaning "Evening of the Seventh") is the Japanese Star Festival, originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival.

Everyone dressed in comfortable yukata, (浴衣) a casual summer kimono usually made of cotton, and worn during exciting festivals, such as Tanabata. Part of Academy tradition calls for wearing the yukata to dinner before the night's activities and wear them we did. Capturing the eyes of other people at the cafeteria at once, many students of the academy were as to the nature of their peculiar attire. Overall, it was exciting being in the spotlight for a night.

After dinner, the Star Festival officially started. We watched a play that the company hosting Tanabata had prepared for us, sang along to the traditional song sung specially for this day, and performed a dance that the teachers taught us with much difficulty and laughter. At the end, following traditional custom, everyone wrote a wish and hung it up on a bamboo tree. The night ended with smiles on everyone's faces.

Kevin