Chinese Valentine’s Day

The Double Seven Festival is the most romantic among traditional
Chinese festivals. The day is also now known as Chinese Valentine's Day.
The main participants in this festival are young women, and the main activities
are to demonstrate their domestic skills; pray for happiness, wealth, and longevity; 
worship Zhinü (the weaver god), and make wishes for a good husband.

The Legend of the Double Seventh Festival

It is believed that the Qixi Festival originated from the romantic legend of
Niulang the cowherd (牛郎 Niúláng /nyoh-lung/ 'ox youth') and Zhinü the
weaver girl (织女 Zhínǚ /jrr-nyoo/ 'brother's daughter / niece (brother's side)').
The legend is popular among Chinese people. Almost everyone knows it, old and young
.Legend has it that a young, poor, but kind-hearted cowherd, Niulang,
lived with his elder brother after his parents passed away. Unfortunately,
both his brother and sister-in-law were cruel and treated him badly.
They kicked him out of the house, and all he had in the world were the clothes
on his back and an old ox.The ox actually was once the god of cattle in heaven,
but was downgraded into the human world as an ox because he had violated the
law of heaven. Niulang once saved the ox when it was sick.In order to show its
gratitude to Niulang, the old ox helped Niulang get acquainted with Zhinü
(a fairy, the seventh daughter of a goddess) when she escaped from her boring
life in heaven to look for fun on the earth. Zhinü soon fell in love with Niulang and
they got married without the knowledge of the goddess.Niulang and Zhinü lived a
happy life together; Niulang worked in the field while Zhinü did weaving at home.
After a few years passed, they had two children, one boy and one girl.However,
happy times didn't last long; the Goddess of Heaven (Zhinü's mother) found out that Zhinü, 
a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The goddess was furious and sent celestial soldiers to bring
Zhinü back.Niulang was very upset when he found his wife was taken back to heaven. 
Then his ox asked Niulang to kill it and put on its hide,
so he would be able to go up to heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the 
skin, and carried his two beloved children off to Heaven to find Zhinü.Just before he caught up with 
Zhinü the goddess of heaven took out her hairpin and created a huge river between them, 
and they were separated forever by the river that later became to be known as the Milky Way.
Heartbroken, he and 
his children could only weep bitterly. However, their love moved all of the magpies in the world to 
take pity on them, and they flew up into heaven to form a bridge over the river, so Niulang and
Zhinü could meet on the magpie bridge.The goddess was also moved by their love, so she allowed them 
to meet each other on the magpie bridge on that day every year (the seventh day of the seventh 
lunar month).

How the Double Seventh Festival Is Celebrated Now

Many of the traditional customs are disappearing, or no longer observed. You are
more likely to find them practiced in rural areas.Now people usually celebrate
Chinese Valentine's Day by giving flowers, chocolates, and other presents,
like for Western Valentine's Day, to their loves instead of doing the traditional customs.
In Chinese cities, Western Valentine's Day is now more popular than
Chinese Valentine Day with young people.However, the love story of Niulang and
Zhinü has taken deep root in the hearts of Chinese people, and it has been, and probably 
always will be, told from one generation to the next.