QIXI FESTIVAL

杜牧: 銀燭秋光冷畫屏，輕羅小扇撲流螢。天街夜色涼如水，臥看牽牛織女星。

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Qixi Festival 七夕節 is observed on the seventh day of the seventh lunar
month of the Chinese calendar. It is a legend of a Chinese romance story of
Niulang 牛郎 and Zhinu 織女 – the cowherd and celestial weaver princess.

A long time ago, the Jade Emperor and the Goddess of Heaven had seven
beautiful daughters, known as the “Seven Fairies.” They were responsible
for weaving the clouds and rainbows in the sky. One day, they descended to
earth and bathed in a lake, leaving their clothes on the shore. Niulang
mischievously took their clothes away. Feeling embarrassed, the fairies
chose their youngest sister, Zhinu, to retrieve their clothes from Niulang.
There was love at first sight between Niulang and Zhinu. Kamand Kojouri once
said, “Maybe love at first sight isn’t what we think it is. Maybe it’s
recognizing a soul we loved in a past life and falling in love with them
again.” They got married and lived happily. And they were blessed with two
children, a boy and a girl.

Unfortunately, their matrimony was discovered by the Goddess of Heaven, who
was exceedingly enraged that her daughter had married a mortal. She ordered
Zhinu to return to heaven immediately. Legend has it that Niulang’s ox was,
in fact, an immortal in Heaven; because of his misdeeds, he subsequently was
punished to reincarnate as an ox on earth. The ox told Niulang to slaughter
him and put on his hide, which would enable him to fly to reunite with
Zhinu. Niulang carried his two young children and frantically flew after his
beloved wife.

Infuriated, the Goddess of Heaven used his golden hairpin to scratch a wide
river (Silvery River 銀河) in the sky to separate the desperate couple
forever on the two banks; thus creating the Milky Way. Zhinu must stay
eternally on one side of the river, dispiritedly weaving colorful clouds on
her loom; while Niulang helplessly watched his wife from afar,
singlehandedly raising their two offspring. Absence makes the heart goes
fonder. 迢迢牽牛星，皎皎河漢女。纖纖擢素手，札札弄機杼。終日不成章，泣涕零
如雨。河漢清且淺，相去復幾許。盈盈一水間，脈脈不得語。“The Milky Way is
nothing else but a mass of innumerable stars planted together in clusters,”
wrote Galileo Galilei.

Eventually, the Goddess of Heaven, comprehending that Niulang and Zhinu were
genuinely in love with each other, let them unite once a year on the seventh
night of the seventh lunar month. All the magpies of the world, sympathetic
to their plight, would flock together forming a bridge, ‘the bridge of
magpies’ 鵲橋, over the Silvery River (Milky Way), so Niulang and Zhinu
could meet and enjoy a long overdue family reunion. 七夕今宵看碧霄，牽牛織女
渡河橋。幾許歡情與離恨，年年並在此宵中。柔情似水，佳期如夢，忍顧鵲橋歸路！兩
情若是長久時，又豈在朝朝暮暮！According to Chinese folklore, when you look
up in the sky on this night, you can see the Vega Star crossing the Milky
Way to meet the Altair Star, signifying the weaver crossing the Silvery
River to meet the cowherd over the magpie bridge.

In ancient China on Qixi, young lovers as well as singles
visited the temples to pray for a romantic love and happy marriage. Chinese
maidens aspired to possess great handcrafting skills, such as weaving and
needle work, which were, at that period of time, criteria for making a good
wife and mother. They burned incense sticks and prayed to Zhinu to grant
them wisdom and dexterous hands and perfect skill in needlework (Qixi
Festival is also called 乞巧節). 家家乞巧望秋月，穿盡紅絲幾萬條。 They
offered fruits, pastries, flowers, incense and facial powder as a tribute to
Zhinu.

Today in China, more and more young folks celebrate Qixi Festival
as if they are celebrating Western Valentine’s Day. In fact, Qixi festival
has long been dubbed as ‘Chinese Valentine’s Day’. Shakespeare: “My
bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.” It was a case of love at first
sight between Romeo and Juliet as well.

蘇軾: 緱山仙子，高情雲渺，不學癡牛女。風簫聲斷月明中，舉手謝、時人欲去。客槎
曾犯，銀河微浪，尚帶天風海雨。相逢一醉是前緣，風雨散、飄然何處。

Article by Dr. Patrick Lau