Yeah, I have heard about this beautiful folktale since childhood. China still celebrates it on the 7th day of 7th month(with the Chinese lunar calender) , so it can fall on the different date of the Western calender every year. Now in China Double-Seventh Day(Tanabata) is equal to the Western Valentine's Day specially for lovers, but it is said that in ancient China, it was also for young girls to be proficient in weaving.
Legend has it that on each Double-Seventh Day the magpies fly together to form a bridge across the Milky Way, helping Orihime and Hikoboshi meet each other. In my local place, it is entering the rainy season(the point from Summer to Autumn). When we hear the sound of showers in that night, we just say that it is the sound of their weeping.
At the same time, I love Bashō's Haiku. It is so wonderful to associate the wild sea towards Sado Island with the insurmountable Milky Way in heaven.
Below is a video of its Chinese version I find on Youtube with English subtitles.
Ah ok, so you do have the same story in China. I guessed you did. Probably Japan took from there in the Heian period when they took many other things from China. The Chinese version of the story is much more dramatic! Thanks for sharing that!
I didn't mention that in the Japanese version of the tale, on years when it rains on the 7th day of the 7th month, the river of heaven is said to have flooded so they can't meet that year, and so the rain we feel on earth is their tears.
Oh, if not for your blog about Tanabata, I would have never known there is a 'Double-Seventh festival' in Japan, too. It is really interesting to learn about the history links among different countries and regions. Last time I just learned the origin and spread of Oden from your blog. I doubt if there is 'Dragon Boat Festival' in Japan. If so, is there also a beautiful but sad love story--Madam White Snake associated with 'Dragon Boat Festival' ？ It seems that in Chinese folktales the true lovers are always forced to seperate...
It is said that on the 'Dragon Boat Festival' which is a very old festival in memory of QuYuan, the herbal medicines have the strongest effect on exorcising the evil spirits. Except eating the Zongzi, in some other places of South China, people may hang the mugwort on the wall or door and drink the realgar wine which can make demons reveal their true features in the folktale.
Here is the story of 'Madam White Snake'.
P.S. I just check the origin of this story online. It shows it was born in Ming dynasty, matured in Qing dynasty. Oh, a big surprise to me! Just a near-term legend, although the story being set in the Southern Song Dynasty(should be after the Heian period of Japan). It must not be so popular as the story of Cowherd and Weaver outside China.