Tanabata

Tanabata

Since I moved to Australia, I have missed having a winter holiday. Christmas in in the middle of the summer here which is very different, but I do love that New Year’s Eve is warm! The only problem is when it is winter there is no holiday to brighten things up. Then I learned about a bunch of Japanese holidays. One I really like is the Star Festival. This is based of a Chinese Holiday about a girl and boy who are separated all year because they were distracting each other from getting their work done. The girl weaves a net and catches stars. The boy herds cattle. For one day a year (Tanabata) they get to be together. People tie wishes onto trees written on colorful paper.

Star cake
Decorations are hung on bamboo fronds. I crocheted mine because I don’t have any bamboo.
Some of the decorations on the bamboo are little pouches. I attempted to make a hat, but it kind of turned into a purse. 🙂
Star food. In Japan parents make their kids long noodles with vegetables shaped like stars. I used a pastry bag and cake decorating tip to pipe out mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. The little star picks on the cupcakes are from Daiso.