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Night after night, century after century, the celestial mechanism of the night sky seems to click on and on, predictably. The moon spins imperceptibly around the earth, the earth around the sun, the sun around the center of our galaxy, and so on forever—or at least until the next Big Bang. But as orderly as the universe may be, things easily can get out of whack here on earth.
Take for example the regular alignment—from an earthbound observer's point of view—of the "wandering" stars Altair and Vega, who in legends in many parts of Asia are known as the "Cowherd" and the "Weaver." The annual meeting of these "star-crossed lovers" happens traditionally on the seventh day of the seventh month, according to the Lunar calendar.
In ancient China, this "reunion" was celebrated in a festival dedicated to the "Woman of the Seventh Month." When the event made its way to Japan around the 6th century, the Japanese simplified its name to Tanabata, combining the characters for "seven" and "evening."
Japan also spun off its own ways to observe the event. In China, it had been a time when women would pray to the "Weaver" star to improve their sewing skills and men would ask the "Cowherd" to protect their fields and livestock in the coming year. In Japan, however, young women brushed poems on long strips of colored paper and attached them to glowing lanterns in hopes that their "lovers" would find them, while the men gathered around the sake barrel to encourage the "Cowherd" to improve their prowness in things academic—and other things.
Also, centuries later when the traditional date was translated to the Julian calendar, most of Japan observed Tanabata on July 7—most of Japan, that is, with the notable exception of Sendai. Oddly, the festival held in this northeastern city, where it has become one of the largest and most famous in the country, is observed on August 7.
Celestial mechanics and numerical accuracy aside, Tanabata in Sendai is truly a magnificent spectacle. What began as a rural, family-oriented observation has become a city-wide explosion of celebration, drawing more than two million visitors each year. Every shopping district is festooned with huge, colorful streamers, a magnificent fireworks display can be seen over the Hirose River on August 5, and, if the gods are kind, the skies will be clear enough to see Altair and Vega, faithfully following their fate course through the heavens. | 
