July 7th – World Chocolate Day
Ozmatch, an international introduction agency, has a community for Australian and Japanese exclusive couples who have met through our Ozmatch matchmaking services.
Some couples are not Ozmatch members any more because they have completed their journey with Ozmach but we have continued to interact with each other as part of the Ozmatch family.
On our chat group, one of our Australian male members mentioned that July 7th is World Chocolate Day which allows chocolate lovers around the world to indulge in their favorite treat without any guilt.
I didn’t know about it and I thought I shouldn’t tell it to my husband who is definitely a chocolate lover and needs an excuse to eat chocolate every evening. 🙂
Then, a Japanese male member mentioned that July 7th is also Tanabata.
Do you know what Tanabata is?
July 7th – Tanabata
Tanabata (七夕) is one of Japan’s five traditional seasonal festivals, originating in China.
This stellar holiday centers on the stars Vega and Altair in the constellations Lyra and Aquila, respectively.
Following the ancient Chinese lunar calendar, the festival marks the once-yearly meeting of Orihime (Vega), the weaver star and patron of silk farming, and Hikoboshi (Altair), the cowherd star and agricultural messenger.
Tanabata (七夕), also known as the “star festival”, takes place on July 7th.
One popular Tanabata custom is to write one’s wishes on a piece of paper( we call it Tanzaku), and hang that piece of paper on a specially erected bamboo tree, in the hope that the wishes come true.
Bamboo is thought to have become a part of the tanabata tradition for its propensity to grow straight and tall, with upward stretching branches bearing wishes to heaven on the wind.
Colorful Tanabata festivals are held across Japan in early July and August. Among the biggest and most famous ones are the Tanabata Festivals of Sendai in August and Hiratsuka near Tokyo in July.
One of our Japanese female members posted a photo to our chat group.
It was her wish and she wished all our members’s happiness. How sweet she is !!
July 7th is World Chocolate Day and Tanabata. What A sweet and romantic day July 7th is !