Today is Qi Xi Jie - also knows at the magpie festival. This is being celebrated every seventh month of the seventh day in the lunar festival. Ancient beliefs told that on this day, the two forlorn lovers, Niu Lang, the cowherd and Zhi Nu, the weaver girl. I first heard of their story from Ariel Lin and Ocean Ou De Yang's song, Gu Dan Bei Ban Qiu or "Lonely Northern Hemisphere" Here's Ariel Lin's MV of that song (which is the OST from her drama "Love Contract"). Coincidentally, her drama, "Love Contract", which also stars Mike He, is almost similar to Zhi Nu and Niu Lang's story. Please don't ask me what the story is, as I haven't watched it yet hehehe
And here's the translation of the lyrics
I use your “Good Morning” to accompany me during dinner time
Remember to deposit the yearnings into the piggy bank
I’m staring towards the sky of shining stars
I’m listening to cowherd telling the weaver girl to be brave
I’m not afraid that we’re both in opposing part of the earth
I’m watching your greetings and riding the magic carpet
Flying; you fly towards me with the speed of the light
You let me see that the Northern Star is accompanied by the Southern Cross
Lack of your arms as my pillows; I’m still not used to it
Your telescope cannot see; my loneliness here in the Northern Hemisphere
The tides of the Pacific Ocean are following the Earth circling back and forth
I will patiently wait until the day that you come ashore
Lack of your hugs as my heater; I’m still not used to it
The photos that I emailed to you didn’t show my loneliness here at Northern Hemisphere
It doesn’t matter how huge the world is, two true hearts will keep each other warm
I won’t be lazy at missing you
I’ll let you keep all of my dreams
As tradition, young single girls demontrate their domestic skills, especially in embroidering.
On Qi Xi, a festoon is placed in the yard and the single or newly married women in the household make an offering to Niulang and Zhinü consisting of fruit, flowers, tea, and facial powder (makeup). After finishing the offering, half of the facial powder is thrown on the roof and the other half divided among the young women. It is believed by doing this the women are bound in beauty with Zhinü.
Another tradition is for young girls to throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qi Xi as a test of embroidery skills. If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it is believed to be an indication of the girl's being a skilled embroideress.
And yes, young girls can wish for a good husband. Hmmm... since I am young and single, maybe I can wish for a good husband myself, LOL!
And by the way, Qi Xi Jie is also called the Chinese Valentine's day. I'm not sure if girls can give chocolates to the guys they like on this day...
"A young cowherd named Niulang (Chinese: 牛郎; pinyin: niú láng; literally "[the] cowherd"), came across seven fairy sisters bathing in a lake. Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he steals their clothes and waits to see what will happen. The fairy sisters elect the youngest and most beautiful sister Zhinü (simplified Chinese: 织女; traditional Chinese: 織女; pinyin: zhī nǚ; literally "[the] weaver girl", who represents the star Vega) to retrieve their clothing. She agrees to do so, but since Niulang has seen her naked, she must agree to his request for marriage. She proves to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang to be a good husband. They lived happily and had two children. But the Goddess of Heaven (in some versions Zhinü's mother) finds out that Zhinü, a fairy girl, has married a mere mortal human. She is furious and orders her to return to Heaven. (In another version, the Goddess forced the weaver fairy back to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds in the sky because she could not do her job while married to Niulang, a mortal.) Down on Earth, Niulang is very upset that his wife is gone. Suddenly, his cow begins to talk, telling him that if he kills him and puts on his hide, he will be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the cow, put on the skin. Carrying his two children with him, he went off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess found out that he had come and was very angry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever (thus forming the Milky Way, which separates Altair and Vega).
Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar and takes care of their two children (his flanking stars β and γ Aquilae or by their Chinese names Hè Gu 1 and Hè Gu 3).
But once a year all the magpies in the world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge (鵲橋, "the bridge of magpies", Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon.
It is said that if it rains on the night of Qi Xi, it is the tears of Niulang and Zhinü crying at the misery of their life because the magpies will not come on a night that rains."
Another story tells the following:
Long time ago, there was a poor cowherd, Niulang. His parents died and he lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law, who were both mean and treat Niulang badly. They kicked Niulang out of the house and left him old clothes and an old ox.
Niulang built a cottage at the foot of mountain and took good care of that old ox. One day the ox spoke to him and told that it used to be Taurus, a proud star in the night sky but was published due to his violation to law of the Heavenly Palace. The old ox told Niulang some goodness would come to the pond not far away from his cottage for having a bathe; Zhinu was among them, who is daughter of king in Heaven, the kind and the most beautiful; If he could take her clothes away, she would left and become his wife.
Niulang listened to the old ox, and went to the pond at appointed day. When the goddness came and took off their silk ropes then jumped into the water. Niulang found Zhinu's clothes and hide away. Other goddesses witnessed Niulang and dressed up quickly and flew away, only Zhinu left. He had adored her from the first moment he saw her. They looked into each other's eyes. The heavenly girl told the poor cowherd that she would be his wife.
The soon got married lived together in that cottage. Niulang worked hard to grow crops and Zhinv raised silkworms. They lived a simple but happy life, with a little boy and girl Zhinu give birth afterwards.
One day the old ox died and they preserve the its hide according to its words left. At the same time, the king and queen of the heaven found that Zhinu married a man and had babies. The queen flew down to earth with her solders and caught Zhinu away. Niulang came back home and found Zhinu not at home, only the children left. The babies cried and told him where Zhinu was going. Niulang remembered what the old ox told him and placed the twins in wicker baskets on a pole to carry on his shoulder, put on the magic hide, and flew up, up into the sky. The queen noticed that Niulang was following them, she became angry, with wave of her arm, and a raging torrent immediately appeared between her group and Niulang. He could not get past this wide swollen river. Heartbroken, Niulang and his children could only look and weep bitterly. The King in his Heavenly Palace was moved by the sound of their crying, and decided to allow Niulang and Zhinu to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
This sad love story was passed down from ancient times, with little magpies were seen on double seventh day, as most of them fly to Milky River to form a bridge for the annual meeting of Niulang and Zhinu.
In ancient times, the double seventh day was an important festival for young women and young girls. No matter poor or rich, they would put on their best clothes and place an incense burner in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niulang and Zhinu and pray for ingenuity.
Anyway, whatever the story is, maybe by now, Zhi Nu and Niu Lang must have already met. Maybe they have crossed that bridge that the fairies or the magpies have created for them to be together for a short time. At least on this day, this star-crossed lover would find their happiness even for just one day. Theirs was a sad story, not to tragic as Romeo and Juliet or as Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai. Nothing can be more sadder than knowin that you love each other, that you know in your heart that the two of you are meant to be, but circumstances and situations won't let you be together. Maybe one day, Zhi Nu and Niu Lang will be together, when the Jade Emperor realizes that their love is stronger than anyone else.
As my favorite tagalog quote goes, "Darating ang araw na magkakasama sila ulit, pag tama na ang mali at pwede na ang hindi."
I wish I could find my Niu Lang as well... well I just hope mine would have a happy ending... but anyways, there won't be happy ending if there won't be sad parts, right?
