If it rains heavily on this Saturday night, some elderly Chinese will say it is because Zhinyu, or the Weaving Maid, is crying on the day she met her husband Niulang, or the Cowherd, on the Milky Way.

如果这个周六晚上下大雨，一些中国老人会说这是因为织女在银河遇见丈夫牛郎那天哭了。

Most Chinese remember being told this romantic tragedy when they were children on Qixi, or the Seventh Night Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This year it falls on Saturday, August 10.

大多数中国人都记得他们小时候在七夕节（农历七月七日）听过这个浪漫的悲剧。今年的七夕节是 8 月 10 日星期六。

Folklore Story民间传说

As the story goes, once there was a cowherd, Niulang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But she disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company.

The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form.

传说，从前有个牛郎，他和他的哥哥嫂子生活在一起。但是嫂子讨厌他，还虐待他，男孩被迫离开家，只有一头老牛陪伴。

然而，这头老牛是一位前神，他触犯天规被贬下凡间变成了牛。

One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinyu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress.

The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married. They had a son and daughter and their happy life was held up as an example for hundreds of years in China.

一天，牛带着牛郎来到一个湖边，那里的仙女们在人间沐浴。仙女中就有织女，她是最美丽的仙女，也是一位技艺高超的裁缝。

两人一见钟情，很快就结为夫妇。他们生了一儿一女，他们的幸福生活被后人奉为楷模，流传了几百年。

Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Deity in Taoism, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden. He ordered the heaven troop to catch Zhinyu back.

Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinyu had been taken back to heaven. Driven by Niulang's misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died.

然而，在道教至高神玉皇大帝的眼中，神仙和凡人禁止结婚。他命令天兵天将把织女抓回。

当牛郎发现织女被带回天庭时，他绝望了。牛看到牛郎的痛苦，告诉他死后用它的皮做成一双鞋。

The magic shoes whisked Niulang, who carried his two children in baskets strung from a shoulder pole, off on a chase after the empress.

这双神奇的鞋子带着牛郎去追赶皇后，他挑着扁担，担着孩子。

The pursuit enraged the empress, who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife.

皇后怒不可遏，她拔出发簪，在天空中划出一条银河，把丈夫和妻子分开。

But all was not lost as magpies, moved by their love and devotion, formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family.

Even the Jade Emperor was touched, and allowed Niulang and Zhinyu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month.

但并没有失去一切，喜鹊被他们的爱和忠诚所感动，在银河上架起一座桥，让一家人团聚。

就连玉皇大帝也被感动了，允许牛郎和织女每年在农历七月七日相会一次。

This is how Qixi came to be. The festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

七夕节就是这么来的。七夕节可以追溯到汉朝（公元前 206 年 - 公元 220 年）。

Traditionally, people would look up at the sky and find a bright star in the constellation Aquila as well as the star Vega, which are identified as Niulang and Zhinyu. The two stars shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way.

传统上，人们会仰望天空，发现天鹰座中的一颗明亮恒星和织女星，它们被称为牛郎星和织女星。这两颗星在银河的两侧闪耀。

Customs 习俗

In bygone days, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers , but also for girls. It is also known as the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Daughters' Festival."

在过去，七夕不仅是情侣间特殊的日子，也是女孩的节日。七夕节也被称为“乞巧节”或“女儿节”。

In this day, girls will throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qixi as a test of embroidery skills. If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it proves the girl is a skilled embroiders.

在这一天，女孩们会在七夕之夜将缝衣针扔进盛满水的碗里，以投针验巧。如果针浮在水面上而不是下沉，则证明女孩的刺绣技艺高超。

Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future. And the newly married women pray to become pregnant quickly.

单身女性也会祈祷将来能有一段好姻缘。新婚女性也会祈祷能尽快怀孕。

Tradition transformed节日现状

The love story of Niulang and Zhinyu, and the Qixi Festival have been handed down for generations. Yet these ancient traditions and customs are slowly dying out.

牛郎和织女的爱情故事和七夕节流传了好几代。然而，这些古老的传统和习俗正在慢慢消亡。

Many modern Chinese, particularly youngsters, seem to know more about St Valentine's Day on February 14, characterized by bouquets of roses, chocolates and romantic candlelight dinners, than they do about their home-grown day for lovers.

现代许多中国人，尤其是年轻人，似乎对 2 月 14 日的情人节了解更多，玫瑰花、巧克力和浪漫的烛光晚餐，而对这个本土的情人节却知之甚少。

Even Qixi is nowadays referred to as the "Chinese Valentine's Day ." More and more young Chinese people begin to celebrate this day in a very similar way as that in western countries.

甚至七夕现在也被称为“中国情人节”。越来越多的中国年轻人开始以和西方国家类似的方式庆祝这一天。

Fewer people than ever will gaze at the heavens on Saturday to pick out the two stars shining bright on either side of the Milky Way, that is, if people even know on which day Qixi falls.

周六，很少会有人仰望天空，寻找被银河隔开的两颗星，也就是说，即使人们知道是那天是七夕。

There are ready reminders dotted about, in the form of big ads saying "Sales on Chinese Valentine's Day!" in shops, hotels and restaurants.

商店、酒店和餐馆里随处可见写着“七夕节大促销”的大型广告，提醒大家节日快乐。

But few young women will mark the festival with their boyfriends, or take part in traditional activities to pray for cleverness.

但很少有年轻女性会和男朋友一起庆祝这个节日，或者参加祈求聪明的传统活动。