Qixi Festival - Chinese

Hello! I am the Qixi Festival, a special day celebrated in China. People also call me the Double Seventh Festival. This is because my celebration happens on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. I am a holiday that honors a very famous and beautiful love story about two special people who are connected to the stars in the night sky.

The story people tell when they think of me is about a kind weaver girl named Zhinü and a gentle cowherd named Niulang. They met one day and fell in love. They were very happy together. But they were separated and forced to live on opposite sides of a wide, sparkly river in the sky called the Milky Way. They were very sad that they could not be with each other.

But there is a magical part to their story. Once every year, on my special day, something wonderful happens. Many, many birds called magpies fly up into the sky. They use their wings to make a special bridge over the Milky Way. This allows Zhinü and Niulang to walk across the bridge of birds and be together for one night.

Today, people observe me in different ways. Some people like to go outside at night and look up at the stars. They try to find the two stars that represent the lovers. My traditions have changed over the years. Now, many people see me as a special day for romance, a time to show love for someone special. It is a bit like another holiday called Valentine's Day. I am a time for remembering a sweet story and celebrating love.