Qixi Festival
August 19 · Level 6 · #1052 of 2238
Qixi is a Chinese festival associated with the cowherd Niulang and the weaver Zhinü, legendary lovers allowed to reunite just once a year. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the traditional Chinese calendar, so its Gregorian date varies.
How it is celebrated: couples exchange gifts and go on dates. Older customs centred on young women seeking skill in needlework, threading needles and making offerings to the weaver; festival events still preserve some of these practices.
The lovers also have places in the night sky: Zhinü is associated with Vega and Niulang with Altair. The river separating them is the Milky Way.