中国的情人节

　　The 2,000-plus-year-old holiday marks the star-crossed love between a cow herder Niulang and Zhinu, a weaver¹ of clouds and the daughter of the Jade² Emperor who is the Daoist ruler of heaven.

　　The story goes that the two fell in love and got married, but their bond was met with disapproval³ by Wangmu, Zhinu's mother and the queen of heaven. Niulang is viewed as the star Altair and Zhinu as the star Vega. With a swift move of her hairpin⁴, she separated the two with a river in the sky, known today as the Milky⁵ Way.

　　But the queen took pity on them and gave them one night of the year to spend together. On Qi Xi Jie, the queen is said to send magpies⁷ to bridge the celestial⁸ gap between the two star lovers.

　　Rooted in Astronomy:

　　The tale seems to be an interpretation⁹ of the prominence¹⁰ of the two stars Altair and Vega, which together with Deneb, make up the Western constellation¹¹, The Summer Triangle, which is highly visible in the summer in the northern hemisphere.

　　In an interview with Xinhua, Beijing Normal University folklore¹² professor Xiao Fang¹³ said that the rejuvenation¹⁴ of the holiday in China is due to two phenomenons.

　　"First, it is a natural response to the challenges of Western festivals, such as the Valentine's Day and Christmas. Secondly¹⁵, people need special occasions to channel their affections so they want such a festival to socialize," Fang told Xinhua.

　　Modern Interpretations¹⁶:

　　Many Chinese view it as another chance to buy gifts for their sweethearts, and the holiday is repeated again on February 14, where Valentine's culture appears to have permeated¹⁷ the earth.

　　The lovers were once immortalized by Song Dynasty poet Qin Guan. Thanks to Dr. Kylie Hsu from Cal State Los Angeles, here is a translation of that poem Fairy of the Magpie⁶ BridgeA great line from Hsu's translation: "A night of rendezvous¹⁸, across the autumn sky. Surpasses joy on earth."Watch a youtube video of last one Qi Xi Jie celebration here.

　　Comments: when more and more young people are celebrating x'mas at the end of year, many westerners also show great interest in the traditional Chinese festivals, such as Spring Festival and Qi Xi. It is a good thing when Chinese culture has been widespread around the world and will become a dominant¹⁹ role in the globalized context.

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