The origin of the Tanabata Festival (in English)

The origin of the Tanabata Festival comes from the legend of the love between the star constellation of the Cowherd and the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

The Weaver Girl and the Morning Cattle are two similar stars in the Tianhe River. There is no connection between the two.

Until the Han Dynasty, these two stars were transformed into specific characters. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are derived from the star names of the Altair and the Vega.

Until the Han Dynasty, these two stars were transformed into specific characters. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are derived from the star names of the Altair and the Vega.

Legend has it that the granddaughter of the ancient Emperor of Heaven was good at weaving, and weaved the sky every day. p>

She hated this boring life, and secretly went down to the mortal world, privately married to the cowherd of Hexi, and lived a life of men and women.?

Angry the Emperor, the Weaver Girl was taken back to the Heavenly Palace, and they were ordered to separate. They were only allowed to meet on the bridge on July 7 each year.

Their strong love and affection moved magpies, countless magpies flew, and used the body to form a color bridge across the Tianhe River, allowing the Cowboys to use their bodies to form a color bridge. the Tianhe River, allowing the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to meet on the Tianhe River.

The Weaver Girl and the Altair are two similar star constellations in the Tianhe River, and the two are not related. It was not until the Han Dynasty that these two stars were transformed into specific characters. Cowherd and Weaving Maiden are derived from the star names of Altair and Vega.

Legend has it that the Weaving Maiden, the granddaughter of the ancient Celestial Emperor, was good at weaving and weaved colorful haze for the sky every day. Hating this boring life, she secretly descended to the mortal world and married the Cowherd of the west of the river privately to lead the life of a man cultivating the land and a woman weaving, and this matter angered the Celestial Emperor, who captured the Weaving Maiden back to the Celestial Palace, and ordered them to be separated, only allowing them to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, on the bridge of magpies.

Their steadfast love touched the magpies, and countless magpies flew to build a colorful bridge across the heavenly river with their bodies, so that the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden could meet each other on the heavenly river.

Expanded Information

The folk customs of the Tanabata Festival are:

1, Incense Bridge Club

In Yixing, Jiangsu Province, there is a Tanabata Incense Bridge Club custom. Every year on the eve of Tanabata, people rushed to build the incense bridge. Into the night, people worship double stars, begging for blessings, and then the incense bridge incineration, symbolizing the double stars have walked across the incense bridge, joyfully meet. This incense bridge is derived from the legendary Magpie Bridge legend.

2, catching dew

Zhejiang rural areas, the popular custom of catching dew with a basin. Legend has it that the dew at the time of the Tanabata Festival is the tears of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden when they meet, and if it is smeared on the eyes and hands, it can make one's eyes and hands bright and quick.

3, wearing a needle begging for coincidence

Wearing a needle begging for coincidence, the women's race to wear a needle, they knot colorful thread, wear seven-hole needle, who wore the faster, it means who begged to the coquettish the more, wear the slow known as the "losing coquettish", "losing coquettish" people will be prepared gifts to the winner. The person who loses the trick has to give a gift to the person who gets the trick beforehand.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Tanabata