Double Seventh Festival 浪漫的七夕
农历七月初七,俗称七夕节,又有说法是乞巧节或女儿节。
Long long ago, there was a handsome and clever boy.
他从小就成了孤儿,整日与一只老水牛做伴。人们因此称他为牛郎。
那时,天上的王母娘娘有个漂亮的小女儿。
She was the youngest and she was good at weaving.
大家都叫她织女。传说美丽的朝霞和晚霞就是她的杰作。
织女厌倦了天上的生活,向往着能过上凡人的日子。她爱上了勤劳的牛郎,于是偷偷下凡和他结了婚。
They had a lovely boy and a pretty girl.Her mother was very angry about the marriage.
She asked her daughter to come back.
如果织女不听话,王母娘娘就要杀死牛郎和他们的两个孩子。
She had to leave.
就在牛郎万分焦急的时候,一直陪伴他的老黄牛突然张口说话了。牛郎大吃一惊。
The old buffalo said that he could die at any time.
它告诉牛郎,它死后牛郎可以剥下它的皮,踩着去追织女。
牛郎于是含泪剥下老黄牛的皮,把一双儿女放在两个筐里,挑着扁担踩着黄牛皮去追织女。
牛郎越来越近,眼看就要追上来了。
王母娘娘急忙用银簪在天上划出一条河。
It called the Milky Way.
银河分开了牛郎和织女。一家人无法相聚,只能隔岸哭泣。
牛郎和织女的爱情感动了喜鹊。The moved magpies came to help.
Thousands of magpies flew together.
They formed a bridge over the Milky Way.
王母娘娘没办法了,只好同意牛郎织女每年七夕(阴历七月初七)见上一面。
Each year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the magpies would flock together to form a bridge。
牛郎织女鹊桥相会的故事由此而来。到了那天,如果天气晴朗,天上繁星闪耀,一道白茫茫的银河横贯南北,东西两岸各有一颗闪亮的星星,隔河相望,遥遥相对,那就是牛郎星和织女星。
Now, the Double Seventh Festival is also called the Chinese Valentine's Day.
这一天也成了情侣们相会的日子。
he Begging Festival:乞巧节
doing needlework:针线活
lunar calendar:阴历
cowherd:放牛人,也即牛郎
magpie:喜鹊。