The biggest Japanese street festival Tanabata Matsuri is in Sao Paulo, Brazil!
Tanabata (Japanese: たなばた or 七夕, meaning "Evening of the seventh"), also known as the Star Festival (星祭り Hoshi matsuri), is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. (source: wikipedia)
The date of Tanabata varies by region of the country, and this year will be celebrated in Sao Paulo on 13th and 14th of July. So wait a second... is tomorrow!!!
In Sao Paulo we proudly host the biggest Japanese community outside Japan, approximately 1.5 million Japanese live between the city and the state of Sao Paulo and our Asian Town, Liberdade, is usually the stage of many events related to Japanese, Chinese and Korean cultures.
