Stars Festival, known as Tanabata in Japan, is a traditional summer celebration observed nationwide, usually held on the seventh day of the seventh month, which could mean July or August, depending on the calendar used. While not a public holiday, it is widely celebrated in public streets and malls. The largest Tanabata festival takes place in Sendai City from 6 to 8 August. The festival commemorates the mythical reunion of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, symbolised respectively by the stars Vega and Altair. According to legend, these celestial lovers are separated by the Milky Way and permitted to meet only once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month.