Chinese Lover's Day

In Chinese custom , there is a festival like the occident's Valentine's Day , we called Lover's Day , it falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar.

The story of Lover's Day

In late summer, the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky, and the Chinese tell the following love story, of which there are many variations:
A young cowherd named Niulang , came across seven fairy sisters bathing in a lake. Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he stole their clothes and waited to see what would happen. The fairy sisters elected the youngest and most beautiful sister Zhinü .She agreed to do so, but since Niulang had seen her naked, she agreed to his request for marriage. She proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang to be a good husband. They lived happily and had two children.

But the Goddess of Heaven found out that Zhinü,a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The Goddess was furious and ordered Zhinü to return to heaven.On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wife had disappeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killed it and put on its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two beloved children off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess discovered this and was very angry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way between Altair and Vega.
Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar and takes care of their two children.But once a year all the magpies in the world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon.

How do people celebrate it?

In modern,people always go to watching movie with lover,buy some gifts for lover or accompaning with lover to celebrate Lover's Day.
In tradition,the single or newly married women in the household make an offering to Niulang and Zhinü consisting of fruit, flowers, tea, and facial powder (makeup). After finishing the offering, half of the facial powder is thrown on the roof and the other half divided among the young women of the household. It is believed that by doing this, the women are bound in beauty with Zhinü.
Another tradition is for young girls to throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qi Xi as a test of embroidery skills. If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it proves the girl is a skilled embroideress.Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future. And the newly married women pray to be pregnant quickly in the future.

Edited by:
Harry,David,Seven,Cally

Photos from:
www.sucaitianxia.com/psd/jieri/200806/1746.html
blog.citytalk.tw/?p=17093
http://www.iltour.net/articleview/2008-7-10/article_view_1873.htm
desk.zol.com.cn/pic_291659.html