CHINESE DOUBLE SEVENTH FESTIVAL (QIXI)
7th day of 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar
The Qi Xi Festival (七夕節, qī xī jié) is an important traditional festival in China. Literal to the name, it always falls on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar, so Chinese people also call it the Double Seventh Festival. This year, the festival falls on August 2.
The Origin of the Festival - The Qi Xi Festival sprang from a legend that has been told in many ways from one generation to the next since the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – A.D. 220). It is the beautiful love story of cow herder, Niulang (牛郎), and the fairy weaving maid, Zhinu (织女).
Niulang, the cow herder, was a kind, honest, and hardworking young man. He was orphaned as a child a nd later was driven out of his home by his sister-in-law. So, he lived by himself tending a cow and farming on the hillside. His only companion was the old cow.
He was stunned by their beauty so he hid behind some bushes, watching their play. His eyes eventually fixed on the youngest one.
Suddenly, the cow spoke to Niulang. “She is the youngest of the seven daughters of the Heavenly King,” it said. “Her name is Zhinu. If you take away her robes, she will not be able to return and she will stay with you.”
Niulang followed the cow’s advice and stealthily took the young maiden’s heavenly robes.
When the playful maidens were ready to leave, Zhinu could not find her robes that would allow her to return to Heaven. In order not to miss the timing of their own return to Heaven, her sisters had to sadly leave her behind.
Poor Zhinu was left all alone. She felt so hopeless that she started to cry.
