Celebrating Qixi Festival, the Chinese \"Valentine’s Day\"”

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　　Qixi Festival (Five Dynasties·Later Tang) by Yang Pu I still don’t know what the Cowherd is thinking; I must invite the Weaving Maid to play with her golden loom. 　　Year after year, it asks to be given human ingenuity, not realizing that there is already much of it in the world. 　　The origin of Qixi Festival \"Qixi\" originated from people’s worship of nature. According to historical documents, at least three or four thousand years ago, with the development of knowledge about astronomy and the emergence of textile manufacturing techniques, records of Altair and Vega already existed. People’s worship of stars goes far beyond Vega and Altair; they believe that there are seven stars in each of the four directions – east, west, south, and north – totaling twenty-eight such stars. Among them, the Big Dipper is the brightest and can be used to determine direction at night. The first star of the Big Dipper is called Kui Xing, also known as Kui Shou. Later, with the introduction of the imperial examination system, those who passed the exams and became top scorers were called \"the greatest scholars under heaven.\" Scholars referred to the Qixi Festival as the \"Kui Xing Festival,\" or also the \"Book Display Festival,\" thus preserving traces of the fact that the original Qixi Festival originated from star worship. 　　The Legend of Qixi 　According to the story of \"The Weaver Girl,\" the Cowherd lost his parents at an early age and was often mistreated by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law; he had only an old cow as company. One day, the old ox gave him a plan, showing him how to marry the Weaving Maid as his wife. On that day, the beautiful fairy went to the Milky Way to bathe and play in its waters. At that moment, the Cowherd, who was hiding among the reeds, suddenly ran out and took away the Weaver Girl’s clothes. The panicked fairies hurried ashore, put on their clothes, and flew away, leaving only the Weaving Maid behind. At the Cowherd’s pleading, the Weaving Maid agreed to become his wife. After marriage, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl farmed and wove together, loved one another deeply, and led a very happy and fulfilling life. Vega also gave Cowherd a son and a daughter. Later, when the old ox was about to die, it instructed the cowherd to keep its skin, so that it could be worn in times of crisis to seek help. After the old ox died, the couple reluctantly stripped off its skin and buried the ox on the hillside. 　　When the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the Heavens learned of the marriage between Vega and the Cowherd, they became furious and ordered the celestial gods to descend to earth and bring Vega back. While the Cowherd was not at home, the gods seized the Weaver Girl. When the Cowherd returned home and did not find the Weaver Girl, he quickly put on a cowhide suit, took the two children with him, and set off in her pursuit. Seeing that they were about to catch up, the Queen Mother of the West grew anxious; she pulled out the golden hairpin from her head and swiped it across the Milky Way. The once-shallow Milky Way instantly became filled with turbulent waves, and the Cowherd could no longer cross it. From then on, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could only gaze at each other through tears, separated by the river. Even the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West could not resist their sincere love, so they allowed them to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. It is said that on that day, magpies from the human world would fly up to the sky and build a bridge across the Milky Way so that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could meet. Furthermore, on the quiet nights of Qixi Festival, people can also hear the tender love words exchanged between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in the sky, beneath grape trellises or other fruit trellises. 　　Qixi Festival* Customs Thread-drawing for skill acquisition was the earliest method of seeking craftsmanship; it originated in the Han dynasty and has been passed down through the ages. The \"Xi Jing Za Ji\" states: \"During the seventh day of the seventh month, the colored ladies of the Han dynasty would wear needles with seven holes on them in the Open-Collar Pavilion, and everyone would have such needles.\" ”The \"Records of the Customs in Jingchu During the Southern Liang Dynasty\" states: \"On the seventh day of the seventh month, on that evening, women in households build colored towers with seven openings; sometimes needles made of gold, silver, or jade are used.\" ”The “Geography Records” state: “Emperor Wu of Qi built a platform; on the seventh day of the seventh month, many people in the palace would climb onto it to try to thread needles.” It is known in the world as the Needle-Piercing Tower. ”Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties, in his work \"Records of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras,\" wrote: \"On the Qixi Festival, palaces would have towers and pavilions constructed from brocade, reaching a height of a hundred feet; these structures could hold dozens of people. Fruits, drinks, and roasted meats were placed there, along with seating arrangements, as an offering to the Vixen Star and the Cowherd Star. The concubines would use nine-pronged needles and colored threads to pierce the air toward the moon, and those who succeeded in doing so were considered skilled in this craft.\" Playing melodies that stir the heart, feasting and celebrating until dawn. All the homes of the local people followed suit. ”Yuan Tao Zongyi’s “Yuan Shi Ye Ting Lu” states: “Jiuyin Terrace is the place where people pray for skillfulness on the Qixi Festival.” By evening, the palace maids would go onto the platform to thread nine-tail needles with colored silk; those who completed the task first were considered skillful, while those who finished later were deemed less skilled. Everyone would contribute money as a gift for those who showed greater skill. ” 　　Songs of the Qixi Festival 　 The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl (paper-cut art) 　 “The Song of Asking for Skill” 　 Asking for skill in hands, asking for skill in appearance ； Ask for understanding, ask for a kind appearance ； 　　Pray for my parents to live a thousand years ； Pray for my sisters for ten thousand years. 　　Second: Emperor, Earthly Emperor, Supreme Emperor – I ask the Seventh Sister to descend to heaven. 　　I don’t need your needles or thread; I’m interested in your seventy-two clever tricks. 　　III. Qiaoyaya – strangely shaped when it grows. Pots grow everywhere, with covers in hand ； 　　Picked on July 7th; sisters came to take pictures. It looks like a flower and also like a vegetable; it’s up to who is the fastest and most skillful