The origin of the tale is a romantic
Chinese folk tale,
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. It was adopted by Koreans. According to the Korean version, a heavenly king had a daughter called Jiknyeo (), who was a talented weaver. One day, when she looked out of the window while weaving, she saw a young man, a herder called Gyeonu (), just across the
Milky Way, and fell in love with him; the father allowed the two to marry. Afterwards, Jiknyeo refused to weave clothes, and Gyeonu did not take good care of the cows and sheep. The king got very angry, and ordered the couple to live separately, allowing them to meet only once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh month of each year, they were excited to meet each other, but could not cross the Milky Way. However,
crows and
magpies worked together to form a bridge across the Milky Way for the couple. After a while, their sadness returned, for they were forced to wait another year before meeting again. It is believed crows and magpies have no feathers on their heads because of the couple stepping on their heads. If it rains on that night, it is believed to be the couple's tears. == Chilseok customs ==