If it rains heavily on this Saturday night, some elderly Chinese will say it is because Zhinyu (織女, zhī nǚ), or the Weaving Maid, is crying on the day she met her husband Niulang (牛郎, niú láng), or the Cowherd, on the Milky Way (銀河, yín hé).

Most Chinese remember being told this romantic tragedy when they were children on Qixi (七夕, qī xī), or the Seventh Night Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This year it falls on Saturday, August 10.

Folklore Story (民間傳說, mín jiān chuán shuō)

As the story goes, once there was a cowherd, Niulang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But she disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company.

The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form (觸犯天規(guī)被貶下凡間變成了牛, chù fàn tiān guī bèi biǎn xià fán jiān biàn chéng le niú).

One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinyu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress.

The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married. They had a son and daughter and their happy life was held up as an example for hundreds of years in China.

Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Deity in Taoism, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden (神仙和凡人禁止結(jié)婚, shén xiān hé fán rén jìn zhǐ jié hūn). He ordered the heaven troop to catch Zhinyu back (玉帝派天兵天將將織女抓回, yù dì pài tiān bīng tiān jiàng jiāng zhī nǚ zhuā huí).

Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinyu had been taken back to heaven. Driven by Niulang's misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died.

The magic shoes whisked Niulang, who carried his two children in baskets strung from a shoulder pole, off on a chase after the empress.

The pursuit enraged the empress, who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife.

But all was not lost as magpies (喜鵲, xǐ què), moved by their love and devotion, formed a bridge (鵲橋, què qiáo) across the Milky Way to reunite the family.

Even the Jade Emperor was touched, and allowed Niulang and Zhinyu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month (每年農(nóng)歷七月七日, měi nián nóng lì qī yuè qī rì).

This is how Qixi came to be. The festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

Traditionally, people would look up at the sky and find a bright star in the constellation Aquila as well as the star Vega, which are identified as Niulang and Zhinyu. The two stars shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way.

Customs (習(xí)俗, xí sú)

In bygone days, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers (情侶, qíng lǚ), but also for girls. It is also known as the "Begging for Skills Festival (乞巧節(jié), qǐ qiǎo jié)" or "Daughters' Festival (女兒節(jié), nǚ ér jié)."

In this day, girls will throw a sewing needle (縫衣針, féng yī zhēn) into a bowl full of water on the night of Qixi as a test of embroidery skills (投針驗巧, tóu zhēn yàn qiǎo). If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it proves the girl is a skilled embroiders.

Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future (求姻緣, qiú yīn yuán). And the newly married women pray to become pregnant quickly.

Tradition transformed (節(jié)日現(xiàn)狀, jié rì xiàn zhuàng)

The love story of Niulang and Zhinyu, and the Qixi Festival have been handed down for generations. Yet these ancient traditions and customs are slowly dying out.

Many modern Chinese, particularly youngsters, seem to know more about St Valentine's Day (情人節(jié), qíng rén jié) on February 14, characterized by bouquets of roses, chocolates and romantic candlelight dinners (玫瑰花、巧克力和浪漫的燭光晚餐, méi guī huā、qiǎo kè lì hé làng màn de zhú guāng wǎn cān), than they do about their home-grown day for lovers.

Even Qixi is nowadays referred to as the "Chinese Valentine's Day (中國情人節(jié), zhōng guó qíng rén jié)." More and more young Chinese people begin to celebrate this day in a very similar way as that in western countries.

Fewer people than ever will gaze at the heavens on Saturday to pick out the two stars shining bright on either side of the Milky Way (很少有人會仰望天空，尋找被銀河隔開的兩顆星, hěn shǎo yǒu rén huì yǎng wàng tiān kōng , xún zhǎo bèi yín hé gé kāi de liǎng kē xīng), that is, if people even know on which day Qixi falls.

There are ready reminders dotted about, in the form of big ads saying "Sales on Chinese Valentine's Day!" in shops, hotels and restaurants.

But few young women will mark the festival with their boyfriends, or take part in traditional activities to pray for cleverness.

來源：Chinadaily.com.cn
編輯：萬月英