What comes your mind when you think of the day for the lovers?
A candlelight dinner on February 14th?
A sweet date with roses and chocolate?
If this is your answer
Then you are must talking about the one in the West—Valentine’s Day
今天也是情人节，不过不是西方熟知的圣瓦伦丁节，而是中国的传统佳节—七夕节。七夕节是每年农历的七月初七，最早来源于古人们对天上牵牛星和织女星的崇拜。浪漫的古人们望着皎皎天边的星辰，产生了无限的联想。牛郎织女七夕鹊桥相会的浪漫爱情传说也就应运而生。
Today is also a day for the lovers, but instead of well-known Valentine’s Day in the West, it is a traditional Chinese holiday, Qixi Festival (also called The Double Seventh Festival). Qixi Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, originated from ancient people’s worship of Altair and Vega in the sky. When romantic ancient people looked at the bright stars in the sky, they generated infinite associations. The legend of romantic love between the cowherd boy Niu Lang (Altair) and the Weaver girl Zhi Nyu (Vega) was then created and recorded.
In legend, the Weaver Girl (Zhi Nyu) was a beautiful, intelligent, and dexterous fairy. Women from the ordinary world also hoped to beg her for intelligent heart and dexterous hands on the Qixi Festival. In the evening of this day girls will take colorful silk threads and seven silver needles out and tried to put the thread though the needles under moonlight. It is said that first girl who put threads through seven needles can get the blessings from Zhi Nyu and become a dab hand in the future.
初秋时节，晚间9点左右，织女星首先出现在天顶附近，随后牛郎星升起。在两颗星的中间隔着一条横贯南北的白茫茫的银河。在七夕的夜晚，世间无数的有情人都会在对着星空向织女祈祷自己的婚姻美满。未婚的女孩子们也会聚在一起观星祈祷找到自己的如意郎君。
In early autumn, around 9 p.m., Vega first appears near the Zenit, then Altair rises. Between the two stars was a vast expanse of white, north-south, Milky Way. On the Night of Qixi Festival, countless lovers in the world will pray to the Vega for a happy marriage. Unmarried girls also gather to look at the stars and pray to find their Mr. Right.
下面一首诗描绘了一个小宫女在七夕夜晚观星的情景。七夕佳节,形单影只的少女心感惆怅，看着牛郎织女星暗暗祈祷能找到自己的如意郎君。
The following poem describes the scene of a little palace maid looking up at the starry sky on Qixi festival night, the lonely girl feels so melancholy, so she looks at the Vega and Altairs and secretly prays to find her Mr. Right.
yín zhú qiū guāng lěng huà píng qīng luó xiǎo shàn pū liú yíng
银烛秋光冷画屏， 轻罗小扇扑流萤。
tiān jiē yè sè liáng rú shuǐ zuò kàn qiān niú zhī nǚ xīng
天街夜色凉如水， 坐看牵牛织女星。
An Autumn Night
The painted screen is chilled in silver candlelight,
She uses silken fan to catch passing fireflies.
The steps seem steeped in water when cold grows the night,
She lies watching Vega and Altair stars in the skies.
随着社会习俗的变化，七夕节的庆祝仪式也在不断的更新发展，但牛郎织女传说中对爱情的勇敢追逐和对爱人的忠贞不渝的观念却穿越千年温暖后人，成为了七夕情人节真正的核心价值。
With the change of social customs, the celebration ceremony of Qixi Festival has been constantly updated and developed. However, the brave pursuit of love and unswerving loyalty to lovers in the legend of Niu Lang and Zhi Nyu has been meaningful for thousands of years and become the real core value of Qixi Festival.
生词 Vocabulary
七夕节:[ qīxī ] ; Qixi Festival/Double seventh Festival
星辰:[xīng chén] Stars
浪漫的：[làng màn de]Romamtic
银河：[yín hé] The Milky Way
如意郎君：[rú yì láng jūn] Mr.Right
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