Japan’s Tanabata festival is commonly celebrated on July 7.
The date comes from the festival’s name and its connection with the seventh day of the seventh month. Tanabata blends a Japanese star festival with the Chinese Qixi legend, in which the celestial lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi are allowed to meet once each year.
Many regions celebrate on July 7, although some communities use August 7 or another date because local calendars and festival schedules differ. This variation does not change the standard date most commonly associated with Tanabata. People decorate bamboo branches with colorful paper ornaments and write wishes on strips of paper called tanzaku.