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七夕 “Star Festival” 英語で説明してみよう!

日本の7月と言えば七夕ですね。

スクールでは毎年短冊に英語で願い事を書いていますが、願い事は様々です。

クリスマスのように、

”I wish for a Nintendo Switch./I wish for money!”

(任天堂スイッチがほしい/お金がほしい)といった願い事から、

”I wish for no homework.”(宿題がなくなるように!)とただの願望だったり105.png

私が子どもの頃は”I wish for world peace/ I wish for my family’s health./I wish that July 7th is sunny so that Hikoboshi and Orihime can meet up.”(世界平和/家族の健康/彦星と織姫が会えますように)の3つが定番だったことを思うと、随分変わったなと感じます。

そんな私も例外でなく、ここ数年”I wish for someone to cook for me.” “I wish for a robot vacuum cleaner.”などと願い、今年は”I wish my daughter will break her thumb-sucking habit.” (娘が指しゃぶりをやめますように!)と願いました。


七夕には願い事を書いて飾りますが、外国人から「どうして願い事を書くの?」と質問されると、皆様はどう答えられますか? 私たちの文化や習慣に「なぜ?」と質問されると、改めて考えさせられたり、学ぶことがたくさんありますよね。そこで、今月は七夕について英語で説明してみたいと思います。


1Why do Japanese write their wishes for Star Festival? 

どうして七夕に願い事を書くの?


In the past, people wished to improve their weaving skill. In the Edo period, the children at Terako-ya (“temple school”: private elementary school) started writing their wishes for getting better at the skills they were learning such as calligraphy, and it became an event.


2. What is Star Festival?

七夕って何?

It’s a romantic love story from China. Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl named Orihime (Vega  ベガ、織女星) and a conscientious boy named Hikoboshi (Altair わし座のアルタイル、日本でひこ星). Orihime was a weaver, and Hikoboshi was a cattle herder.

One day, Orihime and Hikoboshi met each other and fell in love. They loved each other greatly and they got married. After they were married, they became very lazy and stopped working. Orihime’s father, the King of the sky, got mad at them and separated them to the east and west side of the Milky Way( 天の川).

Orihime and Hikoboshi were sad that they could not see each other anymore. So, the King allowed them to meet only once a year on July 7th.If it rains on this day, the river floods and the two can’t meet until next year. That’s why people wish that July 7th will be sunny.


皆様の願い事は何ですか?

Let’s make a wish I hope your wishes come true!



by TokyoPassport | 2018-06-30 12:24 | ひとり言 | Comments(0)
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日々生徒さんとのやりとりで感じたことや英語教育に関することを中心に書いています。東京パスポート学院の生徒様をはじめ、英語教育に関心のある方に読んで頂けるとうれしいです。 www.gakuin.co.jp


by TokyoPassport 辻井 清江
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