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The Double Seventh Festival, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is a traditional festival full of romance. It often goes into August in the Gregorian calendar.
 This festival is
in mid-summer when the weather is warm and the grass and trees
reveal their luxurious greens. At night when the sky is dotted with
stars, and people can see the Milky Way spanning from the north to
the south. On each bank of it is a bright star, which see each
other from afar. They are the Cowherd and Weaver Maid, and about
them there is a beautiful love story passed down from generation to
generation.
Long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted fellow named Niu Lang (Cowhand). 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 (Weaver Maid) 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).
 Scholars have
shown the Double Seventh Festival originated from the Han Dynasty
(206 BC-AD220). Historical documents from the Eastern Jin Dynasty
(AD371-420) mention the festival, while records from the Tang
Dynasty (618-907) depict the grand evening banquet of Emperor
Taizong and his concubines. By the Song (960-1279) and Yuan
(1279-1368) dynasties, special articles for the "Qi Xi" were seen
being sold on markets in the capital. The bustling markets
demonstrated the significance of the festival.
Today some traditional customs are still observed in rural areas of China, but have been weakened or diluted in urban cities. However, the legend of the Cowhand and Weaver Maid has taken root in the hearts of the people. In recent years, in particular, urban youths have celebrated it as Valentine's Day in China. As a result, owners of flower shops, bars and stores are full of joy as they sell more commodities for love. **段落连接xy不支持link_para** |
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