In short
Wishes are written on paper and tied to bamboo, for two stars.
The story
Orihime and Hikoboshi - the stars Vega and Altair - were separated across the Milky Way and are allowed to meet one night a year. The story came from China; the wishes tied to bamboo are Japan's. It is kept on 7 July in most places and a month later where the old calendar is followed.
Retold from the Gujarati household practice
Why it matters
Orihime and Hikoboshi, the weaver and the herdsman - Vega and Altair - are allowed across the Milky Way to meet one night a year. Wishes are written on tanzaku strips and tied to bamboo, and the bamboo is floated or burned afterwards.
What people do
Wishes are written on tanzaku - strips of coloured paper - and tied to a bamboo branch, which is floated or burned afterwards. Streets are hung with paper streamers, and Sendai's festival in August is the largest. Rain on the night is said to keep the two apart for another year.
Retold from the Gujarati household practice
Told differently elsewhere
Kept on 7 July in most of Japan and a month later where the old lunar reckoning survives - Sendai holds the largest festival in August. The same legend is Qixi in China, Chilseok in Korea and That Tich in Vietnam, each on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month.
This text has not been checked by a reviewer yet.
Tithi Calendar on your phone
The panchang for your own city, with the choghadiya, festivals and reminders. It works without the internet.