Silicon Valley Japanese Tanabata Festival

Silicon Valley is hosting a Japanese Tanabata Festival tomorrow at the Plug-and-Play Center in Sunnyvale. Tanabata Festivals celebrate the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi whose love was denied when they were turned to Stars (Vega and Altair) separated by the Milky Way. Only allowed to cross the river of stars and meet one night of the year on the seventh night of the seventh month, that night’s reunion now marks a celebration of hopes and dreams fulfilled.

Customarily Tanabata participants write their wishes and dreams on colorful strips of paper called Tanzaku that are attached as decorations to bamboo trees. The Silicon Valley Tanabata Festival will be fostering the hopes and dreams of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, who can tie their wishes to bamboo stalks, which as the fastest growing and among the most versatile of plants, offer a suitable symbol for the aspirations of high-minded entrepreneurs.