The Herd Boy, the Weaving Maid, and the Double Seventh
If you look carefully at the summer sky on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar (in 2009, it falls on August 26th), you'll find that the Herd Boy star (a bright star in the constellation Aquila, located west of the Milky Way) and the Weaving Maid star (the star Vega, located east of the Milky Way) appear closer together than they do at any other time of the year. Legend has it that the stars are actually lovers who are permitted to meet once a year. This day, known as the “double seventh (七夕; qī xī),” is regarded as China's own Valentine's Day.
The story goes that long ago the Jade Emperor (in heaven) ruled everyone and everything both in heaven and on earth. Though he had seven daughters, he was most fond of his youngest, for she was the most intelligent, most beautiful, and most talented at weaving among the seven sisters. Since she was known for her outstanding weaving skills, people called her Weaving Maid (织女; Zhīnǚ).
One day, the seven sisters decided to go down to the earth for a walk. When they arrived, they saw a beautiful pond surrounded by green grass and colorful flowers and decided to go swimming. As they were enjoying their swim, the sky turned dark, the wind blew hard, and soon it started pouring rain. The sisters recognized that this was a signal from their father, calling them home. They hurriedly got dressed and flew back to heaven, not realizing that they had left the youngest, Weaving Maid, behind. The strong wind had blown her clothes to a nearby pasture. Luckily, however, a handsome young man known to others as Herd Boy (牛郎; Niúlánɡ) spotted her scattered clothing, picked them up and gently returned them to her. At that moment, the two fell instantly in love. After Weaving Maid returned to heaven, she continued to observe Herd Boy. She learned that he had a cow that he took to pasture everyday, and that he was hard working and honest. She wanted to be with him and decided to go to earth secretly to do so.
Upon returning to earth, Weaving Maid and Herd Boy got married. They enjoyed their life together. Every day, he went to the fields while she cooked, cleaned and weaved. After the birth of the couple’s second child, the Jade Emperor discovered what Weaving Maid had done (in ancient China it was believed that one day in heaven was equal to one year on earth). He was furious and sent soldiers to bring her home. As the soldiers were escorting Weaving Maid back to heaven, Herd Boy’s cow, who was actually a god exiled to earth, gave him one of his horns, and therefore the ability to fly, allowing him to chase after his wife.
However, with only a foot between the two, the Jade Empress, Weaving Maid’s mother, waved her jade hair clasp and the couple suddenly found themselves separated by a large river. At that moment, magpies from all around flew over the river, creating a bridge that allowed Herd Boy to reach his wife. Witnessing this, the Jade Empress was so moved, that she was willing to make a concession. Though it was not allowed for heavenly beings and mortals to be together, the Empress granted that Weaving Maid and Herd Boy could see each other once a year on that day – the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.
This story is one that is told in every Chinese household, generation after generation. To this day, each year on the “double seventh” people look to the sky to watch as the lovers cross the river (the Milky Way in the sky creates a “river” between the two stars) and reunite.
