The Love Story
According to legend, long ago, Nanyang west of the city, there lived a honest and humble fellow. He lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. After his parents passed away, the boy's brother inherited the house and land. His sister-in-law is a vicious lady whom often abused him and forced him to do a lot of chores. All he had was an old ox. As a cowherd, the boy had to work the farm fields with his ox everyday.
The seventh daughter of the Emperor, also known as the Weaving Maid, was good at handcrafting, especially weaving clothes. The Emperor particularly appreciated her skills of weaving clouds with rainbows to make the world more beautiful.
The cowherd's ox, which was actually an immortal from heaven, made mistakes in heaven and was reincarnated as an ox to toil on earth. One day, the ox suddenly said to the cowherd: "You are a nice person. If you want to get married, go to the brook and your wish will come true." The cowherd went to the brook and watched the seven pretty daughters of the Emperor come down from heaven to take a bath. Fascinated by the youngest and the most beautiful one, the cowherd hid her fairy clothes. When the other six fairies went away after the bath, the youngest could not fly back to heaven without her fairy clothes.
The cowherd then appeared and told the Weaving Maid that he would keep her clothes until she agreed to be his wife. After a slight hesitation, mixed with coyness and eagerness, the maid accepted the handsome man's proposal. The couple was then married, had two children two years later and lived a happy life. But this did not last long, up in heaven, the Jade Emperor missed the beautiful skies once woven by his seventh daughter. He ordered the Queen Mother to find her and bring her back to him. The Weaving Maid had no choice but to return to heaven without her family.
The cowherd couldn't fly up to heaven as he is only a mortal. Touched by their love for each other, the old ox proposed to give him his skin - to be made into shoes so that he can fly to heaven. As the seventh princess was flying to heaven with her mother, the cowherd put on his old ox's hide and put their children into two bamboo baskets laced with his wife's magical fairy clothes to chase after his love. Alas, just when he was about to reach her, the Queen Mother created a milky way in the sky, which kept the lovers apart.
They could only look at each other..and cry. Their everlasting love for each other was deeply empathized by the magpies. Millions of magpies flew and created a bridge across the milky way so that the lovers can meet. The Queen Mother had no choice but to allow the two lovers meet but on a condition - that is they can only see other for a day every year on the seventh of July.
Chinese Valentine's Day is also called "The Daughter's Festival". Long ago, Chinese girls aspired to becoming skilled craftswomen like the Weaving Maid. This skill was considered essential to their future as wives and mothers. On that night, unmarried girls prayed to the Weaving Maid star for the special gift. When the star Vega was high up in the sky, girls performed a small test by placing a needle on the water's surface: If the needle did not sink, the girl was considered to be ready to find a husband. Once a year, on this day, girls could wish for anything their hearts desired.
In some Chinese provinces, people believe that decorating an ox's horns with flowers on Chinese Valentine's Day will ward off disaster. On the night of Valentine's Day, women wash their hair to give it a fresh and shiny look; children wash their faces the next morning using the overnight water in their backyards for a more naturally beautiful appearance; and girls throw five-colored ropes made during the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival on the roofs so magpies can use them to build the bridge.
The seventh daughter of the Emperor, also known as the Weaving Maid, was good at handcrafting, especially weaving clothes. The Emperor particularly appreciated her skills of weaving clouds with rainbows to make the world more beautiful.
The cowherd's ox, which was actually an immortal from heaven, made mistakes in heaven and was reincarnated as an ox to toil on earth. One day, the ox suddenly said to the cowherd: "You are a nice person. If you want to get married, go to the brook and your wish will come true." The cowherd went to the brook and watched the seven pretty daughters of the Emperor come down from heaven to take a bath. Fascinated by the youngest and the most beautiful one, the cowherd hid her fairy clothes. When the other six fairies went away after the bath, the youngest could not fly back to heaven without her fairy clothes.
The cowherd then appeared and told the Weaving Maid that he would keep her clothes until she agreed to be his wife. After a slight hesitation, mixed with coyness and eagerness, the maid accepted the handsome man's proposal. The couple was then married, had two children two years later and lived a happy life. But this did not last long, up in heaven, the Jade Emperor missed the beautiful skies once woven by his seventh daughter. He ordered the Queen Mother to find her and bring her back to him. The Weaving Maid had no choice but to return to heaven without her family.
The cowherd couldn't fly up to heaven as he is only a mortal. Touched by their love for each other, the old ox proposed to give him his skin - to be made into shoes so that he can fly to heaven. As the seventh princess was flying to heaven with her mother, the cowherd put on his old ox's hide and put their children into two bamboo baskets laced with his wife's magical fairy clothes to chase after his love. Alas, just when he was about to reach her, the Queen Mother created a milky way in the sky, which kept the lovers apart.
They could only look at each other..and cry. Their everlasting love for each other was deeply empathized by the magpies. Millions of magpies flew and created a bridge across the milky way so that the lovers can meet. The Queen Mother had no choice but to allow the two lovers meet but on a condition - that is they can only see other for a day every year on the seventh of July.
Chinese Valentine's Day is also called "The Daughter's Festival". Long ago, Chinese girls aspired to becoming skilled craftswomen like the Weaving Maid. This skill was considered essential to their future as wives and mothers. On that night, unmarried girls prayed to the Weaving Maid star for the special gift. When the star Vega was high up in the sky, girls performed a small test by placing a needle on the water's surface: If the needle did not sink, the girl was considered to be ready to find a husband. Once a year, on this day, girls could wish for anything their hearts desired.
In some Chinese provinces, people believe that decorating an ox's horns with flowers on Chinese Valentine's Day will ward off disaster. On the night of Valentine's Day, women wash their hair to give it a fresh and shiny look; children wash their faces the next morning using the overnight water in their backyards for a more naturally beautiful appearance; and girls throw five-colored ropes made during the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival on the roofs so magpies can use them to build the bridge.
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