Chinese Valentine's Day- Double Seventh Festival
Falling on the seventh day of seventh lunar month, the Qixi Festival, also known as Double Seventh Festival, is what Valentine's Day to the western countries. As it is a day of great importance to girls, the event is also called Young Girls' Festival and Qiqiao Festival, literally meaning the Ingenuity-Begging Festival. Because of the beautiful legend about Niu Lang and Zhi Nu, the festival has been endowed with the meaning of great romance.
Legend of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu
As one of the Chinese four folk legends concerning love, the legend of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu features the Qixi Festival.It is said that Niu Lang was a cowboy who had a kind heart even though he was without living parents. Living with his brother and brother-in-law, he was maltreated. One day, after having been driven out of his home, an old man (in fact a supernatural being), guided him to the sick cattle from heaven. With great care from Niu Lang, the cattle recovered. In order to show gratitude to Niu Lang, the cow helped him get acquainted with Zhi Nu - a fairy from the heaven. They fell in love with each other and married to live a happy life with Niu Lang planting in the field while Zhi Nu did weaving at home. They were also magically given a boy and a girl. However, good times didn't last long because Zhi Nu's deeds were known by the king of the heaven who took her back to heaven. With the cow's help, Niu Lang flew to heaven along with his two children as they chased their wife and mother. It was just at that moment before he could reach Zhi Nu that the queen of the heaven created a huge river between them. Tears from the two flowed continuously so that even the queen was moved. As a result, she allowed them to meet only on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year.
Therefore, the day that Niu Lang and Zhi Nu meet is the present Qixi Festival.
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