Coming up next week is the Japanese “star festival” known as “tanabata”. It usually takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month, meaning July 7, but it can also take place on August 7 in some parts of Japan.

This is because some parts of Japan still follow the lunar calendar. The festival celebrates two stars in the sky that “meet” once per year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. The names of the stars are Hikoboshi and Orihime. It is believed that the Milky Way keeps these two stars, or lovers, apart, and that they can meet just once per annum. The festival is naturally held at night because the stars can only be viewed at night. Large festivals are held around Japan along streets and shopping malls. Big, colorful displays of streamers are a frequent site. One of the customs of the tanabata festival is to write down a wish on a piece of paper. The paper is then hung on a bamboo tree. Sometimes hundreds of these papers can be seen on one tree. The Japanese believe that by doing this their wishes can come true. The star festival is light-hearted and a joyous occasion. Parades, contests, food, carnival games are all part of the landscape at the tanabata festival. If you are ever in Japan it is definitely worth attending a star festival.

Time to get wet and wild! Every year in the middle of April Thailand erupts in a gigantic water fight. Nowhere is safe from the armies of marauding water gun revelers who take to the streets with wild and wooly abandon. Although Songkran, a three day period marking the Thai new year, is officially April 13, 14 and 15, there is hardly a spot to stay dry in the country from about the eleventh to the eighteenth. Chiang Mai, the ancient northern city known as the capital of the north, can’t be outdone for rambunctious water festivities. The town center which was originally the entire old city some hundreds of years ago, is surrounded on all four sides by a 30 foot wide moat, so there is never a shortage of water to be flung. Water balloons, super-soakers, buckets, hoses, nothing is off limits and no one, not businessmen, tourists, policeman, or little old ladies can expect to remain outdoors more than 30 seconds without being drenched from head to foot.

As you can imagine, making and transporting custom artwork under the circumstances can be a bit of a challenge, so we tried to avoid sending custom orders during the week of Songkran. Rest assured that all normal orders are shipped from our safe and dry stateside location and that special care is taken during this time to keep all custom art work made in Thailand in perfect shape.

Unless one travels to the Orient or studies the culture, one may not be aware of all the unique and rich holidays that are part of its tradition. In this article, we are going to talk about a Japanese holiday called “setsubun.” Setsubun in Japan is celebrated the day before each new season, but is traditionally celebrated on February 3 for the spring season.

Each year, on February 3, the Japanese perform a special ritual called “mamemaki” to cleanse and drive away evil. Mamemaki typically involves throwing roasted soybeans (called “irimame”) out the door of a house. Sometimes the beans are thrown at a household member instead, who wears an “oni” (ogre or demon) mask that symbolizes evil. The soybeans are said to purify the spot or home where they are thrown. The person throwing the soybeans recites the words, “Demons go away! Luck come in!” After this is done, the Japanese typically sit down and eat the irimame - one bean for each year of their life plus one for the coming year. Households, temples and shrines across the land of Japan will perform this fascinating ritual on February 3.

Every January on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Chinese celebrate with a spectacular Lantern Festival (or Yuan Xiao Festival in Chinese). The 15th day of the month also marks the full moon. At that time, thousands of Chinese will head outside with brightly lit lanterns and display them proudly in honor of the festival. An atmosphere of joy usually permeates the celebrations as families reunite and lovers meet. The Chinese Lantern Festival has been a part of Chinese culture for the last 2,100 years and has an interesting legend behind its start. Most historians believe that the lantern ceremony is a tribute to the God of Heaven, called Taiyi. Many in ancient China believed Taiyi controlled the world and could inflict damage through famine, storms and drought. To appease Taiyi, an emperor named Qinshihuang initiated the Lantern Festival. Perhaps it worked, because year after year, the emperors supported the festival and deemed it one of the most significant celebrations of the year. Today, craftsmen from around China construct large, multicolored paper lanterns. These Chinese lanterns are made to resemble dragons, birds, butterflies and dragonflies to name some of the most common animals. Spherical lanterns, especially in red, can be seen everywhere and parks are lit up at night and resemble a vast ocean of bright lanterns. Young and old marvel at the spectacle, as tourists and curious spectators flock to the Chinese Lantern Festival, all to witness a truly amazing and unique display.

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and will begin on January 26 of this year, 2009. The most important of all Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year begins on the new moon and ends 15 days later during the full moon. For the Chinese, the year will be number 4707 and this annum will be associated with the ox of the Chinese zodiac. Babies who are born during the year of the ox are said to exhibit the traits of an ox throughout their life. On the positive side, ox people are well organized, dependable, loyal, head-strong, reliable, logical, and creative. On the negative side, ox people can be stubborn, narrow-minded, unemotional, and unsociable at times.

For the Chinese, the mark of the New Year is much more profound than just a night of partying. Festivities for the Chinese during the time of the New Year include family reunions, time off from work to reflect, religious ceremonies, honoring ancestors, and of course, celebrating. During the celebrations, red envelopes are given to children with lucky money coins inside. It is customary to wear red clothing too, which is said to drive away bad luck. The fireworks that are so customary during Chinese New Year were originally used to frighten away negative forces, but today are seen more as a joyous display. During the fifteenth and last day of Chinese New Year, people eat rice dumplings and candles are lit outside homes. The candles are said to help guide lost spirits back home. The last day is also known as the “Lantern Festival” and many children and their parents walk through the streets carrying beautiful and colorful Chinese lanterns. Sometimes competitions are held to see who created the most attractive lanterns. This festival marks the end of Chinese New Year. If you are not Chinese, try going to a Chinatown in your city to experience Chinese New Year. It is truly a special time and can be a richly rewarding cultural experience.