Our summer festival is based on the legend of the beautiful weaving princess, Orihime. She is represented by the star Vega. She created the most wonderful cloth that there ever was. She met and fell in love with the handsome and brave herdsman Kengyuu; he is the personification of the star Altair. He and Orihime were happy for a time, until Orihime's father the Emperor noticed that she was begining to neglect her weaving! He grew angry and he seperated the two by means of a river of stars -- the Milky Way. But once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, a flock of birds would form a bridge across the cosmos, so the two lovers could be together for one night. In honor of Orihime and Kengyuu, the Japanese celebrate the Tanabata, or Star Festival. They write wishes of hope on pieces of paper and hang them in little bamboo trees, in the hope that they will come true!

Come visit the Orient and hang your own wishes on the Tanabata tree. There will be fun and games and, of course, plenty of good food and fellowship with your fellow citizens from all across Ancient Worlds. And romance is in the air, not only for Orihime and her herdsman, but for a certain Oriental citizen as well. I hear that Kenji-san -- bartender extraordinare at the Kublai Khantina -- is searching across the lands for a woman to be his wife. Could it be you? Kenji-san would make quite the catch, for who doesn't love a man who can cook?!

The dates for the festival are July 7 and July 8, and I hope to see everyone at the Kublai Khantina for some lighthearted summer fun!

While you write your wishes and wait for the festival to start, you can display the little plaque below on your homesite, to help spread the word!