Tanabata (Seven Evenings/Star Festival)
The Seven Evenings holiday, this Japanese festival honors the legend of two separated lovers, represented by the stars Vega and Altair. The princess-weaver Vega was allowed to marry a cowherd, Altair, but then Vega neglects her weaving and Altair forgets his cows. As punishment, the couple is banished to opposite sides of the River of Heaven (the Milky Way). Vega and Altair are allowed to meet only on the seventh day of the seventh month, when a bridge is created across the river -- unless it is raining. The Star Festival is celebrated by hanging colorful strips of paper on bamboo branches.
spotlight on:
