Chinese Valentine's day

The Double Seventh festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in China. It is also known as Qixi or Qiqiao festival. In China, it is the most traditional and romantic festival, especially for Chinese girls. This festival is associated with the romantic story about two great love legends of China Niulang and Zhinǚ. It is said that the Herd-boy and Weaving-girl meet together on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

Chinese said that a long time ago, an honest man named Niulang had lost his parents and lived with his brother in the Niu village. His sister-in-law was a very wicked woman and always forced him to work hard. One day she drove him out of her family, then he went to a hill and sit sadly beneath a tree. He had a cow with him, who told him that on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the seven daughters of YuhuangDadi will come into the earth to take bathe in the river. The cow told the man if he hides the clothes of the youngest daughter name Zhinǚ, so she will be his wife.  

On that day when the fairies approached the earth, Niulang has hidden in the reed by the river ahead of time. After arrival, the fairies took off their clothes and jumped into the river. At the moment Niulang comes out from the reed and held Zhinǚ's clothes and runs backward. After bathing all the six fairies go back to heaven and left the youngest one startled in the river. When Niulang found the fairy alone and worried, he hands back her clothes. Zhinǚ found Niulang a loving and honest man, so she got married to him. After the marriage, they both lead a blissful married life and give birth to a son and a daughter. But that good time did not last long. The king and queen mother of heaven were very angry by their marriage and they forced their daughter Zhinǚ to come back to heaven. Thus, love legends become separated.

When Zhinǚ left him, he became isolated. At that time the cow god told him that he will die soon, after its death he can peel its skin and make a pair of shoeas or a cover to fly towards heaven. Niulang wears the shoes or cloak and brought his two kids with him to look for his wife in heaven. When he was just going to reached Zhinǚ, the queen mother of the western heaven took out a hairpin from her hair to form a wave. With the gesture of her hairpin, the queen mother brought about a waving river and separated the two lovers forever.

The love legends were helpless and could not do anything. But fortunately, all the magpies moved by their authentic love. They flew up into heaven to create a bridge over the billowing river. It's believed to be the foundation of the milky way, Altair and Vega. In a while, on the bridge, the two love legends assemble together and have a family gathering. After that, the queen mother of heaven had to permit them to meet together every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. 

Since that day, every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, young Chinese girls dress up in new clothes and try to discover the lover's stars in the sky, and they suppose to see their yearly meeting on the Milky Way. Moreover, young girls pray to gods to become talented and smart as Zhinǚ and wish to lead a happy married life.

On that day, many kinds of prayers presented, the most familiar one is to pray for the ability of threading needles. For this, the young girls draw out seven needles and colorful threads, and the girl who can drag a thread through these needles will be considered as a talented lady. 

This Double Seventh Festival is also called the Chinese Valentine's day. The story of the two love legends Herd-boy and Weaving-girl meeting on the Milky way bridge put an adoring light on this traditional Chinese festival. It's also a belief that you can hear the sweet whisper between these two love legends if you sit beneath the grapevine on the Double Seventh day.