On Tanabata in Hokkaido, there is a custom called "Rosoku-moori" where children go around houses singing "Come out, come out, give us the candles" to get sweets. It is rarely seen these days, but this time we will introduce what kind of custom "Rosoku-moori" is.

Children sing "Let out the candles!" on Tanabata

Tanabata in Hokkaido is divided into areas where it is celebrated on July 7th, which is based on the old calendar, and areas where it is celebrated on August 7th, which is based on the new calendar, but Tanabata in southern Hokkaido and Hakodate is celebrated on July 7th. On Tanabata day, children in Hakodate dress up in yukata robes, hold lanterns and sing songs while receiving sweets from adults. The song they sing at that time is a little unusual, "Bring out the candles, bring them out." It has a similar role to Halloween's "Trick or treat!".

In the past, this custom was practiced throughout Hokkaido, and the custom itself is sometimes called "morousoku" (getting candles) or "doing candles." The characteristic children's songs seem to have differed depending on the region.

In central, northern and eastern Hokkaido, the most common verse is "Give me that candle! Give it out! If you don't give it out, I'll bite you! I'll bite you! If I bite you, I won't let go!", which is probably familiar to many people. In southern Hokkaido, in the Hakodate area, they sing, "Let's celebrate the Tanabata Festival with a tanzaku on a bamboo stick, please give me a candle!"

In fact, there are too many variations to list here, but the gist of the song is, "Give me a candle! If you don't give me one, I'll bite you!"

It was once held in various parts of Hokkaido, but has gradually decreased...

According to Masako Odashima's "Hokkaido Annual Events," as of 1996, "candle-grabbing" was taking place in every region throughout Hokkaido. However, as the years passed, the number of regions that carried it out gradually decreased, and now it is mostly known as a custom that continues mainly in Hakodate.

But why do children ask for candles in this "candle-borrowing" event? When we looked into the reason, we found that its roots lie in Hakodate.