Phew, I'm stuffed. That was really satisfying.

Now that I've got a belly full of food, I think I'm starting to get sleepy…

*Giggle* Then you can use my shoulder as a pillow.

Yay! Thanks.

Getting sleepy with a full stomach? Oh Chika, you're just like a kid.

I was just looking forward to today so much that I couldn't really sleep much last night.

I'm full too. Now that I think about it, why do we eat somen during the Star Festival?

I've been wondering that too.

It's apparently an old tradition. That's what it said on the internet.

There's evidence of it found in the Engishiki, which is a book that details imperial court customs of the Heian period.

It says that a food called sakubei was presented as an offering during the Star Festival.

Sakubei is almost like a predecessor to somen. In other words, the Star Festival and somen go way back to before the 12th century.

You don't say! I knew that you and your wealth of knowledge would have the answer, Nozomi!

I'm surprised to learn that somen has been around for so long.

That might be true, but I think sakubei is a little different from the somen we know today.

Really?

Yup. I looked it up online. See? You apparently make a dough out of wheat flour, stretch it out, twist it together, and then deep-fry it.

That's not like somen at all.

If anything, it's more like deep-fried bread.

Exactly. If we're comparing it to food that we have these days, I think it's more like deep-fried bread, donuts, or churros.

Sakubei, huh? It's pretty amazing that a piece of culture from over a thousand years ago still exists today.

Yeah. I'm surprised that the Star Festival has been around for that long as well.

Oh, I know! While we're at it, why don't we all make this sakubei thing and offer it up for the Star Festival?

I think that's a great idea, but wouldn't it be impossible to get done if we're only starting now?

Then how about we make Star Festival decoration versions of them. They should be easy to make in origami form.

Yeah, I think we could pull that off.

Ooh! Your bread-making skills are coming in handy again, Kasumi!

Okay, let's all make them together and hang them up with our wish slips.

All right! I'm gonna do my best!