Altair's and Vega's Story, A Beautiful Love Story Between The Cowherd and The Celestial Weaver

Altair and Vega Across the Milky Way
Source: Personal Document

Hi, hi, hello, Twiskies! I'm back with another stars story. Today I bring you a sad romance story between Altair and Vega! As we know Altair and Vega has an interesting love story with a pretty bad ending.

Twiskies, as we know, Altair and Vega is separated in different constellation, Altair is the brightest star in constellation Aquila, while, Vega is the brightest star in constellation Lyra. But they not separated forever, there is a time when these lovers are reunited once a year and their reunion is celebrated by Japanese and Chinese. In China, the celebration called Qixi Festival while in Japan it called Tanabata. Wanna know about the story? Let's get started then!

Vega was a celestial weaver that creating beautiful fabrics for the Gods and Goddesses. Even though she was immortal, she was exhausted because it seems that she would spend eternity alone. Meanwhile, Altair was s ordinary people that lived in earth as a mortal cowherd. 

One day, something extraordinary occurred. Tired by her rigid life in the heavenly court, Vega resolved to sneak down to Earth. She was intrigued by the world below and wanted to learn how ordinary people lived. She descended from the divine world disguised as an ordinary woman. As soon as she descended to earth, she met Altair, and it was the beginning of their love story.

They were unaware that they came from different worlds at first. Altair immediately attracted with her beauty and grace, but Vega caught on to his genuine generosity and hard work. They began to interact, and as the day progressed, they found themselves telling stories, laughing, and experiencing a connection unlike anything they had ever felt before. 

They ended up deeply in love with each other. It was subsequently that they realized Vega was a celestial weaver and Altair was a mortal cowherd. But by then, their love was so deep that they didn't mind the differences between their worlds. Vega promised Altair that no matter what happens, they will be together in the heavens.

However, their love was not without consequences. The Jade Emperor, ruler of the heavenly kingdom, was not happy with their union. Vega was a celestial weaver who made beautiful fabrics for the gods, and her marriage to a mortal was considered as a serious violation of the laws of God.

Love Stories in The Night Sky
By: @starwalkapp in Instagram

The lovers were split apart by the outraged Jade Emperor, who cast Vega to one side of the Milky Way and Altair to the other. Only once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, were they allowed to meet, and they were forced to live apart. 

So then, Twiskies, July or August 7th is the day when Qixi/Tanabata Festival was held. On this special night, something remarkable happens. Touched by the lovers' everlasting affection, magpies from all over the world flew to the Milky Way, building a bridge with their wings. This miraculous bridge would allow Altair and Vega to briefly reunited by bridging the celestial river that used to separates them.