Sharing: Qi Xi Festival 七夕節

Hulla...today is 13.08.13 (wow I like the number lol) which also the seventh day of the 7th lunar month (Double Seventh Festival), known as the Qixi Festival. It's a Chinese Valentine's Day ♥♥♥

This love story has been told again and again when I was a child. My mom used to tell us the story...

One evening, seven daughter of Goddess who are bored, had just escaped from heaven to look for fun. 

Niulang was a poor orphan cowherd who live together with his only friend old magical cow. The magical cow told him of a way to find a beautiful wife so they went to the riverside on that evening, where the seven fairies were having bath (perverrttttt.... >.<)

He took one of the beautiful silk dresses that the fairies had left on the bank. When the fairies finished their bath, the youngest fairy ( Zhi Nu 织女) couldn't find her clothes and had to see her sisters fly back to heaven without her. Suddenly this Niulang came out with the dress and asked Zhi Nu to stay with him. (Notty Niulang...ck ck ck... Zhi Nu bo huat so need to stay with him hmm...)

As you know several years on Earth is equivalent to only few days in heaven. On Earth, Niulang ang Zhi Nu lived happily with their two children. Zhi Nu proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang to be a good husband. But the Goddess of Heaven ( Wang Mu Niang-niang 王母娘娘) found out Zhi Nu's absence. She was so annoyed she had Zhi Nu brought back to heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying in the sky, Niulang was terrified. He grabbed the cowhide that hanging on the wall.( The magical cow had told him before dying of old age: "Keep the cowhide for emergency use")

Putting the cowhide on, he went after his wife along with two children. The Goddess of Heaven suddenly showed up and pulled off her hairpin to draw a line between the two. The line become the Silver River in heaven (milky way). Sadly, Zhi Nu went back to the heavenly workshop, weaving the clouds. All the clouds that she weaved seemed sad. The Goddess of Heaven, decided to let them unite once on the seventh day of the seventh month as she was touched by their love for each other.

In China, this festival is quite important especially for single women who wish for her own Prince Charming to enter her life. But in by-gone days, this festival is also known as the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Daughter's Festival"

In the past, single women or young girl would conduct a ceremony to beg Zhi Nu for wisdom, dexterity and a satisfying marriage. They offered fruits and pastries, if spiders were seen to weave webs on sacrificial objects, it was believed Zhi Nu was offering positive feedback. 

People say that on this day it will rain, because of the crying in heaven.(surprisingly here was raining this morning and gloomy the whole day ). Others say that if you stand under grapevines on that night, you can hear the lovers talking ( are you sure?? lover's talking or "brothers' talking"as it's still a hungry ghost month...creepy...)

Check out the google game...so cute

Anyway, Happy Chinese Valentines Day ♥♥♥

~will tell this story tonight to my lil one since he can hear me now hehe :)