Tanabata

In ancient times, in a small village there lived a poor boy. To meet the needs of day-to-day the boy has been selling pottery. Every day he walked from village to village to offer pottery homemade. "Pottery ... pottery ...!" He cried every day. Although it is very heavy and tiring but the boys always chirpy offer his wares.

On a hot day, the boy walked along the edge of a lake of clear water. "Ah, today is tiring at all" he said, putting his pottery on the shores of the lake and wiped the sweat that dripped from his forehead. The young man washed away and drink a few handfuls of water taken by hand. "Ah, fresh ..." he says with delight.

The youth want to continue the journey when the faint sound of a woman who was joking from the lake. "Whose voice is it?" She wondered. With great concentration he tried to sharp hearing and move his eyes to find the source of the sound. Apparently the sound was coming from some women who were bathing in the lake. Seeing a beautiful woman who was in the shower, the heart of the youth to be pounded with embarrassment. When he was looking for a hiding place not to be seen by the woman, he saw several pieces of clothing that is very smooth and beautiful color. Maybe it was the clothes of the woman who was in the shower. Finally arises the evil thoughts that young man to take a garment to them. Then the clothes were stashed in bakulnya. The young man then went away from that place.

Towards dusk, the boys came back past the lake to see if there are beautiful women who were taking a bath is still there or gone. How shocked she was when she saw from behind a tree by the lake a woman beautiful without dressing sheet, too, was crying alone. With a pounding heart of the boy approached the girl.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Asked the youth.

"My clothes are stolen! I can not go home without clothes was "answered the girl.

The young man felt sorry to see her cry, a moment arises intention to return the clothes that he had taken earlier. But, for the first time he saw a lovely girl like that, cause the intention to invite the girls come back home with him. The girl was very grateful for the good of the youth to take her home.

Because the girls have nowhere else in the world so he decided to stay with the youth. They were eventually married. Some time later the girl who has now become his wife, gave birth to a child. Their lives became increasingly unhappy.

One day, as is usually the husband goes to work, while the wife stayed home to cook and play with his son who was a baby. It was not as usual, the baby cried loudly, until the mother had to struggle to put him to sleep. When his son was fast asleep, without realizing the eyes of the mother were on a strange object hanging from the ceiling of his house. What is that you? Out of curiosity, then took the stairs to retrieve the object that was hung above. It turns out it was a bundle of cloth. Slowly opening the package and ... "Oh, these clothes that I've been looking for. It turned out that my own husband who has been saving! "She said with sadness mixed with joy. Immediately wearing the clothes. And by holding his son who was still fast asleep, he was about to fly into space. At the same time her husband returned home. Saw his wife wearing the clothes her husband became upset and worried.

"My wife, about to go where art thou?" She asked with tears in her eyes.

"My husband, I've found clothes that I've been looking for. Actually I was an angel from heaven. And now is the time I had to return to the skies. Because there the place! "Said his wife as he slowly drifted into the air.

"My wife, do not leave me!" Cried the husband by begging.

"If you want to see me, make a thousand pairs of straw sandals, and pendamlah in soil in the bamboo forest is high. Climb the bamboo tree, and it reached the kingdom of heaven. Later we will be able to meet again. See you ... "said his wife with his eyes welling with grief to part with her husband. And slowly his wife climbed into the sky to disappear behind a cloud of white.

After hearing the explanation, the husband immediately collect hay as much as possible and tirelessly worked day and night to make a thousand pairs of straw sandals. Finally the husband managed to make 999 pairs of slippers, but since it can not wait to meet his wife and son immediately transported to 999 straw sandals and was buried in a bamboo forest. Suddenly, from the embankment straw sandals that grew at a bamboo tree that towered into the sky. The husband had climbed the bamboo tree is up to the end. But because the straw sandals are made less than one pair, then the husband could not reach the kingdom of heaven is only approximately one arm only. Whatever the hands of the husband and flailing nor to the kingdom of heaven. So she yelled top of my voice to call his wife. "My wife ... I came to see you. Get out! "

Cries her husband was eventually reached the ear of his wife. He held the arm of his wife to reach her husband's arm. Finally the husband managed to set foot in the kingdom of heaven. After that they both face the god of the sky which is also the father of his wife. But because basically the dominion of the heavens do not like the relationship between humans and gods, then by any means father and mother of his wife's separate relationships children with humans.

One day the father ordered the husband's son to take water without spilling a bit with a basket of many holes. Of course this is impossible. In the bewilderment of his wife helped her husband to bring wax paper to cover the basket with holes-holes. As the father of his wife saw that the basket can accommodate the water, he was very surprised.

"It turned out that humans also have a flair!" He said with a grunt. For a moment the heart of the husband was relieved, but it has not ended.

It was during the summer. In the kingdom of heaven, eating a watermelon is a taboo which should not be made because it would cause a disaster. However, because the mother wanted to separate his daughter from her husband, so she ordered him to pick a watermelon in the garden.

"Broken and brought back a watermelon from the garden!" Commanded the mother.

Because he thought picking and cutting a watermelon is not a difficult job, so without further ado the husband immediately went to the garden to pick a watermelon. She cut a watermelon with caution. But then what happens? From inside a watermelon that split it flows the flood surge. The husband swept the water without being able to do anything about it. "Please ... please!" Cried the husband. My father and mother of his wife laughed happy to see her husband her son dragged the flow of water that has been turned into a river that big. His wife is now realizing the disaster immediately went to the edge of river. But he was too late. Her husband had been washed up the river that far. It was very sad. He shouted, "My husband! We will meet annually on the seven! Seven ...! "

But because her husband further away, then what sounded by her husband only numbers "seven".

The flow of the river in the kingdom of heaven is called the river Amanogawa. Each of the seventh of each month, the wife is always waiting for the arrival of her husband on the banks of the river Amanogawa. But for months waiting for her husband did not appear too. Finally her husband came to meet his beloved wife on December 7 months 7 (July). The husband just hear the number seven and seven, so he thought met on seven months and seven. Since that time they could only meet once a year which was on July 7. Until recently dated July 7 is celebrated as the Festival Tanabata in Japan. On that day, the Japanese people hang small paper colors contain a variety of applications at the twigs of bamboo tree in the hope that the petition be terkabulkan.

Tale Tanabata originated from Kagawa Prefecture. The theme of love story this tragic provide inspiration for the traditional society of Japan to make the two characters in the story as gods and goddesses who can fulfill all their requests, especially things associated with love romance. Positive values that can be taken, among others, is sincerity of love will never die even if exposed to various kinds of obstacles.

Quoted from : Antony R. Pujo Purnomo, M.A. Tanabata Collection Folklore Japanese options. Era Media. 2007

Source : www.tvtropes.org