七夕 The Evening of the Sevens [Chinese Valentine’s Day]

The Evening of the Sevens in a China-wide celebrated festival. It is also called the Double Seventh Festival [shuang qi jie 双七节] or the Praying for Skills [1] [qi qiao乞巧] festival, and it could arguable be considered the equivalent of the Western Valentine’s Day, however, this comparison has its shortcomings, yet the common denominator of both festivals is certainly romance. The general myth and tale is about a love story between the Weaving Maiden [zhi nü 织女], symbolizing Vega, and Herd Boy [niu lang牛郎], symbolizing Altair. In the main version the Jade Emperor disapproved his daughter’s love to a mortal, thus the two lovers were banished to opposite sides of the Milky Way, called the Silver River [yin he 银河] in Chinese. Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would appear to form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day. There are many, slightly altered versions to this story. The date is even known as the Celebration of the Birthday of the Ox:

旧时儿童会在七夕之日采摘野花挂在牛角上，又叫“贺牛生日”。因为传说西王母用天河把牛郎织女分开后，老牛为了让牛郎能够跨越天河见到织女，让牛郎把它的皮刨下来，驾着它的牛皮去见织女。人们为了纪念老牛的牺牲精神，便有了“为牛庆生”的习俗。

In olden times the children would hang wild flowers on the horns of oxen, [as this day] was also called “Celebration of the Birthday of the Ox”. Because legend has it that after the Queen Mother of the West [xi wang mu 西王母] utilized the Milky Way to separate the Weaving Maiden and the Herb Boy, the old ox enabled the Herd Boy to step over the Milky Way and meet the Weaving Maiden. [It did so by] letting the Herd Boy peel off its skin and ride on its hide to see her. People commemorate the sacrificial spirit of the old ox through their custom of having [a festival day] to celebrate the birthday of the Ox.

[1] This name dates back as far as the Han Dynasty (202BC-220 AD), since during the Double Seventh festival girls would show off the dexterity at needlework..