Your Unknown Double Seventh Festival
Tuesday
Your Unknown Double Seventh Festival
你所不知道的七夕节
Do you know that today is the Double Seventh Festival? Some people just reply with the answer—The Chinese Valentine’s Day! However, most people don’t really know the profound origin. As a matchmaker, many people go from single to double on the Double Seventh Festival. As a result, we must have some knowledge of its underlying cultural traditions.
今天七夕节，你知道吗？很多人回答不就是中国的情人节！不过到底有怎样的渊源，大多数人还是不知道的，作为见证很多单节棍进化成双节棍的七夕节，我们必须了解一些七夕背后的文化底蕴！
The Cowherd and the Weaving Girl is one of the most renowned folk legends which is also the earliest Chinese version star story. In Ren Fang’s Shu Yi Ji who was in South and North Dynasty, there is one part saying--In the east of the river, there was a beauty who was the daughter of the God of heaven. She was a skillful and superb weaver and kept weaving year after year. And she weaved the glorious and splendid clothes. As a result, she was too busy to make up and dress up. The God showed mercy on her and married her to a cowherd who lived in the west of the same river. Since then, she neglected her weaving work and didn’t tend to return back to weave after she got married. Consequently, the God went on a rage and forced her to go back to the east of the river. Since that, the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl could only meet with each other once a year.
牛郎织女是中国最有名的一个民间传说之一，是中国人民最早关于星的故事。南北朝时代任昉的《述异记》里有这么一段：“大河之东，有美女丽人，乃天帝之子，机杼女工，年年劳役，织成云雾绢缣之衣，辛苦殊无欢悦，容貌不暇整理，天帝怜其独处，嫁与河西牵牛为妻，自此即废织紝之功，贪欢不归。帝怒，责归河东，一年一度相会。”
At the meanwhile, it is well-known that the Weaving Girl was a quite beautiful, smart, clever, skillful and handy fairy. So, the female mortals would like to take this opportunity to pray for great wisdom and superb skills. Even, they asked her for a happy and perfect marriage. Therefore, the Double Seventh Day is also called as the Begging Festival. In the Tang and Song poetry, skill begging was frequently mentioned such as one related poetry Wang Jian who was in Tang Dynasty said—In the night of the Double Seventh Day, the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl reunited on the Magpie Bridge. And every family couldn’t help looking toward the boundless and immerse sky. The skillful weaving females had been sewing for thousands of red lines.
与此同时，众所周知，织女是一个美丽聪明、心灵手巧的仙女。所以，凡间的妇女便想趁七月七这天晚上向她乞求智慧和巧艺，更想向她求赐美满姻缘。所以七月初七也被称为乞巧节。在唐宋诗词中，妇女乞巧也被屡屡提及，例如唐朝林杰有诗说“七夕今宵看碧霄，牛郎织女渡河桥。家家乞巧望秋月，穿尽红丝几万条”。
Nevertheless, every legend has its loading birthplace. Like Zhejiang, it is the birthplace for the romantic legend Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. And Tianhe Mountain in Xingtai is the birthplace for the legend story of Cowherd and the Weaving Girl. Moreover, the largest and massive size ritual supplies MoKeLuo from Tang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty was unearthed in Xingtai. And Annuals of Neiqiu County is one of the earliest text in domestic which recorded customs and traditions of the Begging Festival concerning about the Double Seventh Festival. Besides, the largest ritual ceremony for the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl is in the temple fair of Neiqiu County.
然而，每个故事传说都会有孕育他们的土地！像爱情故事梁山伯与祝英台的发源地在浙江，而邢台天河山是牛郎织女故事的源生地。邢台还出土了全国最大规模的唐代至清代的“七夕”祭祀用品——摩柯罗，《内邱县志》关于七夕的记载是国内最早一批记录“乞巧节”风俗的文本之一。并且，内丘县的七夕庙会有中国规模最大的牛郎织女祭祀仪式。
Actually, every place has different traditions and memorial ways for the Double Seventh Festival. However, many customs activities have weakened with the passage of time. Even, some have faded away. Only the legend for the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl is still passed on among the civilians which stands for the loyalty in love!
其实，每个地方对于七夕节的传统或纪念方式不同。只不过，随着时间流逝，不少习俗活动已经弱化或者消失。惟有象征忠贞爱情的牛郎织女的传说，一直流传民间！
知识点
matchmaker 美 ['mætʃ.meɪkər] 英 ['mætʃ.meɪkə(r)]
n. 媒人；牵线搭桥的人；红娘；月老
a person who tries to arrange marriages or relationships between others
例句：
The fate is waiting for the matchmaker!
宿命就是等待月老！
I agree to go on a blind date as the matchmaker is my best friend.
我同意去相亲，因为媒人是我最好的朋友。
知识拓展
天阶夜色凉如水，卧看牵牛织女星。--杜牧《秋夕》
It was late at night and strong chill in the air, the maid was still sitting on the stone chairs and kept watching the Altair and Vega at both sides of the Galaxy.
纤云弄巧，飞星传恨，银汉迢迢暗度。金风玉露一相逢，便胜却人间无数。-- 秦观《鹊桥仙·纤云弄巧》
Thin clouds are creating delicate works and showing off their performance. Falling stars
carry the deep sorrow. Even though, the Milky Way is quite vast. Reuniting in such a cool breeze blowing night, their rendezvous outshines many a worldly date.
What will you do on this special day?
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