THE LEGEND OF TANABATA
Orihime (織姫, Weaving Princess) the daughter of the Tenkou (天工, Sky King, or the universe itself) wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the River of Heaven (天の川 Amanogawa). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard everyday to weave it. However, she was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tenkou arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星, Cow Herder Star) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and were shortly married.
However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tenkou and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tenkou separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa River and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tenkou was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. 
The first time they tried to meet; however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies (鵲, カササギ, Kasasagi) came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. If it rains, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait till next year. 
CELEBRATING TANABATA
People in Japan celebrate Tanabata by planting bamboo on this day. Carvings of miniature cattle might be placed under bamboo in order to honour the cattle breeder.
People wear yukata and, first making ink with the morning dew, some write their wishes on the tanzaku (parchments of five colours) and hang them on the leaves of bamboo plants. Wishes for romance and for improved skills in calligraphy and needlecraft are especially favoured. It is said that Orihime and Hikoboshi will make their dreams come true, unless the evening of July 7 be rainy, in which case Hikoboshi will be unable to cross the flooded River of Heaven to get to his beloved, so wishes will have to wait for the following year.
Having been decorated, on this day or around midnight the previous night, with tanzaku, origami, talismans and coloured threads, the bamboo tree is thrown into a river or burned to make the wishes come true. Sometimes the best-quality noodles will be offered to these stars today to ward off disease.
