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Chinese Valentine's Day (or “Qi Qiao Jie ”) falls on the seventh day of the
seventh month of the lunar calendar (August according to the Gregorian
calendar). As is the custom elsewhere in the world, this is a day devoted to
romance.
In China, this day is also known as “The Begging Festival” or “The
Daughter's Festival.” It is an important day for girls. In the evening, girls
prepare melons and fruit before worship and prayers for a good marriage.
There are many stories as to the origins of Chinese Valentine's Day, and
one of them involves the Emperor of Heaven and his seven daughters.
The love story
The seventh daughter of the Emperor of Heaven and an orphaned cowherd were
separated by the Emperor; the girl was forced to move to the star Vega
(织女星，天琴座中的最亮的那颗星)and the cowherd, to the star Altair(牛郎星, 牵牛星). They were only
allowed to meet once a year on the day of seventh day of seventh lunar month -
Chinese Valentine's Day.
The story begins with the handsome but poor orphan who lived with his elder
brother and sister-in-law. After his parents passed away, the boy's brother
inherited the house and land. But all he had was an old ox. As a cowherd, the
boy had to work the farm fields with his ox everyday. His daily life routine
resembled the story of Cinderella (《灰姑娘》).
The seventh daughter of the Emperor, also known as the Weaving Maid, was
good at handcrafting, especially weaving clothes. The Emperor particularly
appreciated her skills of weaving clouds with rainbows to make the world more
beautiful.
The cowherd's ox, which was actually an immortal from heaven, made mistakes
in heaven and was reincarnated as an ox to toil on earth. One day, the ox
suddenly said to the cowherd： “You are a nice person. If you want to get
married, go to the brook and your wish will come true.” |
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发表于 2016-7-10 11:34:42