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Tanabata 2010 - Miyagi

07/08/2010

七夕祭り - Tanabata matsuri of Sendai is one of the biggest ceremonial occasions in the Touhoku area  of Japan. This is  normally held for three consecutive days, and this year it was held on 6th ,7th and  8th of August.People from all　over Japan gather in Sendai in this period to see the ceremony. Schools are closed and new transportation services, shops, services and decorations change the daily routines of Sendai.

I had the chance to witness the Tanabata ceremony on the 7th of August 2010. It is a parade where the Sendai people dance and perform their traditional dances, dramas and arts. The main road is closed and audience gather on the pavement and the road. Well, I could manage to find a place at the very front, on the road where one can witness the opening and closing ceremonies.

The opening ceremony of the 2nd day of Tanabata
The opening announcement is made and once hte reading is over the assistant in the left claps the two wooden blocks  once,  making an unique one clap sound. This indicates the ceremony has started from now onwards.

The "Miko" of Sendai (Geisha)

 Sendai women parading 

 Sendai beauties - The left most corner is Ms Sendai 2010
The representatives from Sendai traditoinal families, artisans, artists go parading dancing to the song tune of  "Tanabata" . the original singer comes to the occasion ad perform lively for the paraders to parade while dancing. I ` m sorry that I don`t have any clear photos of the singer.

The "oni" evil spirits ` performance


my favourite "daiko" performance

The "susume" dance
Susume is a bird and this dance imitates the birds movements. These dancers paraded nearly five rounds and towards the end they were soaked in sweat and some could not even breath properly.But their beautiful smiles never disappeared. This event was the most impressive performance for me. they managed to keep us alive and convey the message of good spirit .

The brass bands of schools, universities, police and other departments performing.


The main characters of the event. 
The ruler Date Masamune performing an ancient tale.

The closing ceremony of the 2nd day of Tanabata

It was nice experience watching the Japanese culture. I was so proud and was moved to see the young generation protecting what they inherited. This ceremony is an opportunity to witness the culture, responsibilities, inheritance, arts and the spirit of Japanese people.
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