About Chinese Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is the Chinese Valentine’s Day which is also called Qi Xi or Qi Qiao Jie. It happens on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar. So the date varies every year in the lunar time zone:

Year 2010 is on August 16, 2010
Year 2011 is on August 6, 2011
Year 2012 is on August 23, 2012

According to Chinese folklore, when you look up in the sky on this special day, you can see the Vega Star crossing the Milky Way to meet the Altair Star. Chinese believe that the girl (weaver) will cross the Heavenly River to meet her lover (cowherd) over a bridge physically built up by magpies on this Valentine's Day once a year.

There are two legends around the origin of this day.

The first legend is about the freedom of love.

It is a love story about the seventh daughter of the Heavenly Father and an orphaned cowherd. The Father separated them. She was forced to move to the star Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair. They are allowed to meet only once a year on the day of seventh day of seventh lunar month. The story began from the good-looking poor orphaned boy living with his elder brother and sister-in-law. After his parents past away, his brother inherited the house and the land. The boy only owned an old ox. He needed to work on the farm's field with the ox everyday. So he was called a cowherd. His daily life was just like in a Cinderella story…

The second legend is about love and responsibility.

On the east bank of the Heavenly River lived a weaving maiden. The Heavenly Mother made her work day and night weaving cloth for gods and goddesses. Since the weaver lived all alone, the Heavenly Mother took pity on her and allowed her to marry a cowherd boy who lived on the west bank of the Heavenly River. The weaver enjoyed her marriage so much that she stopped weaving. This angered the Heavenly Mother, so she kidnapped the weaver, took her back across the river, and allowed her to see the cowherd only once a year over a bridge formed by magpies.

One of the most famous poems about the legend was written by Qin Guan in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

FAIRY OF THE MAGPIE BRIDGE

Translation by Kylie Hsu

Among the beautiful clouds,

Over the heavenly river,

Crosses the weaving maiden.

A night of rendezvous,

Across the autumn sky,

Surpasses joy on earth.

Moments of tender love and dream,

So sad to leave the magpie bridge.

Eternal love between us two,

Shall withstand the time apart.

Compared with love stories in Western stories, such as Romeo and Juliet, the story of this Chinese couple seems not as intense and passionate. Love doesn't kill or end up by breaking up the barrier between them. They just wait patiently on each side of the Milky Way, believing that their love can fight against their time apart. It is faith and emotional liaison instead of physical attraction and desire that are emphasized and appreciated in the story as well as in many other Chinese folk stories about love.

Both unmarried and married lovers can celebrate this Qi Qiao Jie. It is a great occasion to show love and care to your beloved or your significant other. Traditionally, for unmarried girls, they will gather together and pray for a better personal skill and good luck in finding their lovers. A noble lady’s praying words usually would look like: 1) wish her country great prosperity, 2) wish her parents good heath, and finally 3) wish herself a good husband. The last is the most important.

Wish everyone a happy happy Qi Qiao Jie tomorrow!