Chinese Culture - 七夕节 QiXi---Chinese Valentine's Day

Long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted fellow named Niu Lang. His parents died when he was a child. Later he was driven out of his home by his sister-in-law. So he lived by himself herding cattle and farming. One day, a fairy from  heaven Zhi Nu fell in love with him and came down secretly to earth and married him. The cowhand farmed in the field and the Weaver Maid wove at home. They lived a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, the God of Heaven soon found out the fact and ordered the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring the Weaver Maid back.With the help of celestial cattle, the Cowhand flew to heaven with his son and daughter. At the time when he was about to catch up with his wife, the Queen Mother took off one of her gold hairpins and made a stroke. One billowy river appeared in front of the Cowhand. The Cowhand and Weaver Maid were separated on the two banks forever and could only feel their tears. Their loyalty to love touched magpies, so tens of thousands of magpies came to build a bridge for the Cowhand and Weaver Maid to meet each other. The Queen Mother was eventually moved and allowed them to meet each year on the 7th of the 7th lunar month. Hence their meeting date has been called "Qi Xi" （Double Seventh）.


Traditional celebrations:

In bygone days, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers, but also for girls. It is also known as the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Daughters' Festival."
In the past, girls would conduct a ceremony to beg Zhinu for wisdom, dexterity and a satisfying marriage in the future.
This was not the case all over China, as the festival varied from region to region.
In some parts of Shandong Province, young women offered fruit and pastries to pray for a bright mind. If spiders were seen to weave webs on sacrificial objects, it was believed the Waving Girl was offering positive feedback.
In other regions, seven close friends would gather to make dumplings. They put into three separate dumplings a needle, a copper coin and a red date, which represented perfect needlework skills, good fortune and an early marriage.
Girls also held weaving and needlework competitions to see who had the best hands and the brightest mind, both prerequisites for making a good wife and mother in ancient China.
Young women in southern China used to weave small handicrafts with colored paper, grass and thread.
Afterwards, they competed to pass a thread through the eyes of seven needles in a single breath.

传说古时候有个善良的年轻人，名叫牛郎。他的父母早逝，常遭兄嫂欺负，连家产都没得分，只留给他一条老牛，它是天上的金牛星变的，因为触犯了天条，所以被玉帝贬到凡间为牛，它看善良的牛郎受人欺负，所以决定要帮他。一天，它忽然开口告诉牛郎，东边山下有个湖，每天都有七个仙女到湖里洗澡，只要牛郎偷走其中的一件衣裳，使那仙女无法返回天宫，就会留下来作他的妻子。听了老牛的话，牛郎果然偷偷藏起一位仙女的衣裳，等到仙女们洗完澡要回天宫时，年纪最小的织女才发现自己的衣裳不见了，急得哭了出来，这时牛郎捧著她的衣裳出现，要求织女答应作他的妻子才把衣裳还她,织女看牛郎忠厚老实，便答应了，两人婚后生了一双子女，生活十分幸福美满，但老牛却死了，在死前它告诉牛郎，在它死后剥下它的皮，遇到困难时就会派上用场，这是它最后能留给牛郎的唯一一件东西。而织女嫁给牛郎的消息传回天庭后，玉帝大怒，遂派王母娘娘把织女给抓回来，牛郎为了找回织女，想起了老牛的叮咛，就披上牛皮靠著牛皮的神奇魔力追上他们，此时王母娘娘心一急，拔下头上的簪子往空中一划！马上出现了一道波涛汹涌的天河，把牛郎和织女分隔两边，牛郎和一双儿女在河边大哭，其深刻的感情也令玉帝动容，所以特赦他们全家每年七月七日相会一次。于是每年到了七夕，就有无数的喜鹊飞上天去，搭起一座鹊桥，让牛郎和织女一家渡河相会，说七夕当天晚上一定会下雨，这就是牛郎织女重逢后喜极而泣的泪水...

七夕节的习俗：
在中国，农历七月初七的夜晚，这就是人们俗称的七夕节，也有人称之为“乞巧节”或“女儿节”，这是中国传统节日中最具浪漫色彩的一个节日，也是过去姑娘们最为重视的日子。　　
在晴朗的夏秋之夜，争河的东西两岸，各有一颗星星，那就是牵牛星和织女星。　　
七夕坐看牵牛织女星，是民间的习俗，相传，在每年的这个夜晚，是天上织女与牛郎在鹊桥相会之时。织女是一个美丽聪明、心灵手巧的仙女，凡间的妇女便在这一天晚上向她乞求智慧和巧艺，也少不了向她求赐美满姻缘，所以七月初七也被称为乞巧节。　　
人们传说在七夕的夜晚，抬头可以看到牛郎织女的银河相会，在瓜果架下可偷听到两人在天上相会时的情话。　　
女孩们在这个充满浪漫气息的晚上，对着天空的明月，摆上时令瓜果，朝天祭拜，乞求天上的女神能赋予她们聪慧的心灵和灵巧的双手，让自己的针织女红技法娴熟，更乞求爱情婚姻的姻缘巧配。过去婚姻对于女性来说是终身大事，所以，世间的有情男女都会在这个晚上，对着星空祈祷自己的姻缘美满。　　
乞巧的方式大多是姑娘们穿针引线验巧，做些小物品赛巧，摆上些瓜果乞巧，各个地区的乞巧的方式不尽相同，各有趣味。

七夕来临之际，不同地方的人们用不同的方式庆祝节日。在河南省洛阳龙门石窟风景区，女孩们打扮成仙女的样子为游客表演。在山东济南两个年轻人打扮成牛郎和织女的模样吸引游客。在江苏南京，人们穿着传统的服饰在祈祷。在山西太原，女人们穿着古装参加缝纫比赛。在安徽合肥，年轻人在配对游戏中畅玩。


Women dress up as fairy maidens perform for tourists as part of Qixi celebrations at the Longmen Grottoes scenic spot in Luoyang, Henan province.