七夕情人節

七夕情人節指的是農歷七月的第七個夜晚，這個節日是漢代傳統的民間節日。七夕的晚上不僅僅是傳說中的"牛郎"和"織女"一年一度相會的夜晚，同時也是為編制姑娘們祈求心靈手巧的好機會。因此，七夕節又叫"乞巧節"，"女兒節"。盡管七夕節不如其它節日那般流行，但是在中國，男女老少都對節日背后的故事相當熟悉。

很久以前，有一個放牛娃名叫牛郎，父母早亡，只好跟著哥哥嫂嫂度日。然而，哥哥嫂子為人狠毒，經常虐待他。他們逼牛郎干苦活，不讓他吃飽睡好，最后又把他趕出了家門，牛郎除了身上的衣服和一頭老水牛外，一無所有。

牛郎在山邊搭了間茅草屋，辛勤開墾，在巖石地上挖出了一片菜園，他常常饑腸轆轆，勞累不堪，但把老水牛照顧得好好的。一日，牛突然說話了，它告訴牛郎說自己前身是天上的金牛星，由于違反了天條把糧食種子撒到了人間，天帝將它貶到人間以示懲罰。老牛說，過幾天，天上的仙女會下凡到離茅草屋不遠的圣池里游泳，其中有一個勤勞善良、美麗賢惠的姑娘，名叫織女。織女是天宮中王母娘娘的外孫女，如果牛郎能趁仙女洗澡的時候把織女的衣服拿走，她就會留下來作他的妻子。

到了那天，牛郎藏在高大的蘆葦叢里等著。老牛說的話顯靈了，仙女們很快就到了，她們脫掉絲袍跳進水里。牛郎偷偷地爬出來，拿起織女的衣服跑開了。仙女們嚇著了，趕快上岸，穿起衣服跑開了，把織女一個人留在后頭。牛郎跑回來，把衣服還給了織女，他對織女一見鐘情。兩人相對而視，織女對牛郎說要做他的妻子。

兩人結婚后，牛郎耕田種地，織女紡線織衣，恩恩愛愛。織女成了遠的名人，她心靈手巧，養蠶紡紗，編錦織緞，樣樣精通。三年后，侄女生了對龍鳳胎，男孩兒叫"金哥"，女孩兒叫"玉妹"。小兩口日子過得幸福美滿，牛郎織女滿以為能夠終身相守，白頭到老。

一天，牛快死了，臨死前說對小兩口說，將它的皮剝下來放好，有朝一日，披上它，就可飛上天去。牛死后，牛郎心疼地剝下牛皮，小心翼翼地收藏起來。

這時候，玉皇大帝和王母娘娘聽說孫女到了人間，還結婚生子，非常生氣，遂下令天神盡快把織女捉回來。

一日，牛郎從地里回來看見孩子們坐在地上哭，忙到織布機前看，沒人。孩子說，有個老太太把媽媽抓走了。牛郎記起了老牛對他說的話，他把孩子放到兩個籮筐里，披上牛皮，挑起籮筐，突然，他輕如浮云，飛向天空。眼看快追上了，王母娘娘聽到了小孩的哭聲，她朝后一望，從頭上取下金簪，在身后劃了一道，天空中立馬出現一條奔騰的河，這條河就叫天河。天河太寬，河水湍急，牛郎飛不過去，只能看著織女飛走，父子三人哭得揪心裂膽，天帝見此情景，大為感動，遂允許牛郎織女每年農歷七月初七在天河上鵲橋相會。

這對可憐的夫妻變成了星星，牛郎變成了牽牛星，織女成了織女星，把他們分開的河就是銀河。

這個悲楚動人的故事一代代相傳。據說，七月初七那天，喜鵲很少，因為他們都要飛到銀河上為牛郎織女搭起約會的橋。由于牛郎和織女在上面站的時間太長了，次日，這些忠實的喜鵲頭都變禿了。

在中國，許多人把"七夕節"當成本族的情人節。

七夕情人節

The Double Seventh Festival refers to the seventh night of the seventh lunar month. It is a traditional folk festival of the Han people. This night is not only the time when the legendary Cowherd and the Girl Weaver are supposed to have their annual meeting, but also a good opportunity for women to pray for the Girl Weaver for the purpose of seeking dexterity. Therefore, this festival is also named " Maiden's Day", " Daughter's Day". The day is not as well-known as many other Chinese festivals. But almost everyone in China, young or old, is very familiar with the story behind it.

Once upon a time, there lived a poor cowherd, Niulang, whose parents had died long before. He had to live together with his elder brother. Unfortunately, his brother and his sister-in -law were very mean and often treated Niulang very badly. They would not give him enough food to eat, and made him work so hard that he hardly had time to sleep. Finally, they kicked him of their home. All he had in the world were the clothes on his back and an old ox.

Niulang built a small thatched cottage on the side of a mountain. He cut and dug and sweat until he had made a vegetable garden out of the rocky soil. He was often tired and hungry, but always found time to take good care of his old ox. One day, the old ox suddenly began to speak to him. It said that it used to be Taurus, the Golden-Ox Star, in the sky and had been banished by the Lord of Heaven to this world as punishment for its violation of heavenly rule by sPading grain seeds to this world. The old ox told Niulang that the goddesses of Heaven would take a bath in a sacred pond not far from his cottage a few days later. Among them was a beautiful, virtuous and industrious girl whose name is Zhinu, the Girl Weaver. Zhinu was a granddaughter of the King of the Heavenly Kingdom. If the Cowherd took the advantage of their bath in the pond to take away her clothes, she would stay and become his wife.

When the day came, Niulang hid in the tall reeds by the pond and waited for the young goddesses. They soon came, just as the ox said they would. They took off their silk robes and jumped into the clear water. Niulang crept out of his hiding place, picked up Zhinu's clothes and ran away. Her companions were so frightened that they jumped out , dressed as quickly as they could and flew away, leaving the Girl Weaver behind. Niulang returned and gave her back her clothes. He had adored her from the first sight he saw her. They looked into each other's eyes. The Girle Weaver told the poor Cowherd that she would be his wife.

After their marriage, the Cowherd ploughed and the Girl Weaver wove and they loved each other. The Girl Weaver became famous far and near for her dexterity in raising silkworms, reeling and weaving exquisite silks and satins. Three years later, Zhinu gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. They named the boy " Brother Gold" and the girl " Sister Jade". The couple were overjoyed with the additions to their family and believed that they would remain a devoted couple to the end of their lives.

One day, the ox was dying. Before it closed its eyes for the last time, it told the young couple to skin him and keep its hide after its death. It also told them that its hide would enablr a man to fly even to Heaven. After the old ox died, the young couple reluctantly skinned it and stored it with meticulous care.

Meanwhile, the King and Queen of Heaven found out that their granddaughter had gone to the world of Man and taken a husband. They flew into a temper. They ordered a god to bring the Girl Weaver back as soon as possible.

Niulang came back from the field one day to find his two children sitting on the ground and crying. He found the seat at the loom empty. The two children told him that an old lady had just taken their mother away. Niulang remembered what the old ox had told him, he carried his two children in two baskets on a pole and put on the magic hide. Immediately, he got as light as a cloud and flew up into the sky. He had almost caught up with the Queen and his wife when the Queen heard the crying of his children. Looking back, she pulled off a gold clasp from her hair and drew a line behind her. A raging torrent immediately appeared in the sky. This is the so-called River of Heaven. The Cowherd and his children could not get past this wide and swollen river. Heartbroken, he and his children could only look and weep bitterly. Moved by their mournful crying, the King of Heaven decided to allow the separated couple to meet on a bridge of magpies on the seventh night of the seventh Lunar month each year.

The poor couple each became a star, the Cowherd, Altair and the Girl Weaver, Vega. The wide river that kept them apart is known as the Milky Way.

This sad love story has passed from generation to generation. It is well known that very few magpies are seen on the Double-Seventh Day. This is because they all fly to the Milky Way to form a bridge for the meeting of the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver. And the next day the magpies' heads are bald because the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver walked and stood too long on the heads of their loyal feathered friends.

The Double-Seventh Day in China is considered by many the Chinese Valentine's Day.