The poor couple each became a star, the Cowherd, Altair and the Girl Weaver, Vega. The wide river that kept them apart is known as the Milky Way.

This sad love story has passed from generation to generation. It is well known that very few magpies are seen on the Double-Seventh Day. This is because they all fly to the Milky Way to form a bridge for the meeting of the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver. And the next day the magpies' heads are bald because the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver walked and stood too long on the heads of their loyal feathered friends.

The Double-Seventh Day in China is considered by many the Chinese Valentine's Day.