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

　　若周六晚間下起傾盆大雨，一些長輩便會說，這是因為織女與丈夫牛郎在銀河相聚時喜極而泣。

　　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， which is usually in early August。 This year it falls on Tuesday， August 9。

　　大多數中國人孩提時在七夕——農歷七月七日，通常是在八月初——這一天會聽到這一浪漫的悲情故事。今年是在8月9日，星期二。

　　Folklore Story

　　民間故事

　　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。

　　曾經有一個牧牛人，名叫牛郎，他和他的哥哥及嫂子生活在一起。但是他的嫂子不喜歡他，并虐待他，于是牛郎被迫離家出走與一頭老牛相依為伴。

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

　　然而，這頭老牛曾是一位神仙，由于觸犯天條并貶下凡間，做了一頭牛。

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

　　一天，老牛帶著牛郎來到一個湖邊，這里是仙女下凡沐浴的地方。其中一個名叫織女，她是最漂亮的仙女，也是一名手藝嫻熟的繡女。

　　The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married。 They had a son and daughter。

　　這兩個人一見鐘情，不久后便結婚了。之后便有了一個兒子和一個女兒。

　　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 Zhinu back。

　　但是，在玉皇大帝——道教的至高神明——的眼里，凡人和神仙是絕對不能夠結婚的。他下令天兵天將前去捉拿織女。

　　Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu 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。

　　當牛郎發現織女被帶回了天庭之后變得傷心欲絕。老牛被牛郎的不幸遭遇所觸動，它告訴牛郎，在它死后，把它的皮做成一雙鞋。

　　The magic shoes whisked Niulang off on a chase after the empress。

　　這雙神奇的鞋載著牛郎迅速去追趕王母娘娘。

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

　　此舉激怒了王母娘娘，于是她取下發髻在天上劃了一下，便出現了銀河，牛郎和織女從此天各一方。

　　But magpies， moved by their love， formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family。

　　但是，喜鵲被他們的愛深深感動了，于是他們便在銀河上架起一座橋讓他們一家團聚。

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

　　甚至，玉皇大帝也被感動了，于是他允許牛郎和織女每年在七月七日晚上相聚一次。

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

　　這便是七夕的由來。這個節日可追溯至漢朝（公元前206年——公元220年）。

　　Customs

　　風俗習慣

　　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。”

　　在過去，七夕不僅僅是戀人們的特殊日子，對女孩子們而言，也意義非凡。它也被稱為“乞巧節“或“女兒節”。

　　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。

　　在這一天，女孩子們會在七夕晚上向一個載滿水的碗里投一枚針，作為刺繡能力的測試。如果針浮在水面而不是下沉，這就證明該女孩是一個熟練的刺繡者。

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

　　單身女性也會祈求在未來找到一位如意郎君。新婚女性會祈求早生貴子。

　　Tradition transformed

　　傳統的改變

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

　　牛郎和織女的故事以及七夕節延續了數代人之久。但是，古老的傳統和習俗也在慢慢地消失。

　　Many modern Chinese， particularly youngsters， seem to know more about St Valentine’s Day on February 14。

　　許多當代中國人，尤其是年輕人，似乎對2月14日的情人節了解更多。

　　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。

　　在今天，七夕甚至被稱為“中國情人節”。越來越多的年輕人開始以一種十分類似于西方國家的方式來慶祝這一天。

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

　　很少有年輕女性會和她們的男朋友紀念該節日，或者是參加傳統活動來祈求巧慧。