The legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl originated in Nanyang.

The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is one of the four great folk stories in China. China Valentine's Day, which is derived from this, has accumulated profound national culture, national psychology and national spirit, and has become an important traditional festival for people to pray for all happiness, express their feelings and live in harmony. In order to further inherit and protect this rich national cultural heritage left by our ancestors, the author quotes classics and traces back to the source, initially proving that the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid originated in ancient Nanyang.

The regional environment gave birth to ancient legends.

Nanyang, formerly known as Wan, is located in the southwest of Henan Province, with Funiu Mountain in the north, Tongbai Mountain in the east, Qinling Mountain in the west and Hanshui River in the south. It controls Ruluo in the north, covers Jingxiang in the south, crosses Shaanxi in the west and connects Jianghuai in the east. In ancient times, it was an important transportation hub and military location. The "Xia Dao" that runs through Nanyang has become an important channel for Chu to communicate with countries in the Central Plains.

Nanyang has a long history and profound cultural heritage. During the Warring States Period, Nanyang Xichuan Danyang became the capital of Chu State. Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and his important civilian generals all made their fortune in Nanyang, so Nanyang is called "Southern Capital" and "Land of Kings". At the same time, Nanyang is also the intersection of cultural and technological development between the North and the South. The collision of various cultural factors has produced profound cultural accumulation, and Chu style and Han rhyme are its typical cultural characteristics.

Baihe, the largest tributary of Hanshui River, surrounds Nanyang and is known as "White Water in Hanzhong", which is similar to Hehan, Tianhan and Yinhe in the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl. According to the famous historian Qian Mu's Textual Research on the Place Names of Chuci, Cha Xiao's Ode to Time says: "The old country of Penan is a treasure of heaven and man." In the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, Niujiazhuang (also known as Sanglin), twenty miles west of Nanyang, is located on the west bank of Baihe River, which corresponds to the saying in Liang Yin's Yunnan Dynasty novel: "There is a Weaver Girl in the east of Tianhe, the son of the Emperor, ... who promised to marry the Cowherd in Hexi, gave up weaving after marriage and was ordered to return to Hedong."

Cowherd and Weaver Girl were born in Chu State.

Tracing the formation of Valentine's Day in China from the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, the time was in the Warring States Period and the place was in the State of Chu. There is a poem in The Book of Songs Xiaoya Dadong, "Toe is a weaver girl, who has seven bags all day long ... After finishing her work, she leads the cow instead of the box". This is the earliest written record of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and it is the embryonic form of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. There is also a poem "Han Guang" related to the Weaver Girl, which says that "Han has a wandering girl and can't think about it". According to historical records, the word "Han" in the poem refers to Hanshui and Tianhan (Galaxy), and the word "wandering girl" refers to the goddess of Hanshui or Vega. There is also "the song of Gao Han prodigal girl picking pearls" in Dunan Fu by Zhang Heng, a Nanyang native.

Chu people live in Jianghan area, and they attach great importance to the "prodigal girl of Han Dynasty". In addition, among Chu people, Altair is often confused with Hegu Samsung. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the annotation in the book Chronicle of Jingchu written by Nanyang Zonggu said: "Cowherd star, Jingzhou is called' Hegu'". In Nanyang Han Dynasty stone relief "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl Constellation", the river drum is the cow.

Nanyang, located in the "north of the Hanshui River", is known as "relying on cows to push Jianghan and covering three mountains with lakes". During the Warring States Period, Nanyang belonged to Chu, and Chu was in Danyang, Xichuan, which was the birthplace of Chu culture with profound cultural accumulation. This historical and cultural background is one of the important conditions for the formation of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Han Dynasty Stone Relief Confirmed Cowherd and Weaver Girl.

The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid originated from the worship of stars in ancient times, which is the result of people deifying and personalizing the stars in the sky. Altair and Vega face each other across the river, which makes people have endless reverie.

The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl originated in Chu State. In Han Dynasty, with the development of astronomy, its legend became more extensive, concrete, vivid and vivid, and became an important material for painting and sculpture.

The Han Dynasty is an important period in the history of astronomy development in China. Nanyang in the Han Dynasty is one of the famous cities in China, and it has become the intersection of the development of culture and science and technology in the north and south. The collision of various cultural factors has produced profound cultural accumulation. A generation of astronomy master Zhang Heng was born here. In this context, a large number of Han Dynasty stone reliefs appeared in Nanyang, which vividly combined the stars with legends, which is a historical necessity. Among them, the "Cowherd and Weaver Girl Constellation" is one of the powerful evidences that the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl originated in Nanyang, and it is also an important witness to the inheritance pedigree of Cowherd and Weaver Girl.

In the 1970s, a Han relief stone named "Cowherd and Weaver Girl Constellation" was unearthed from Baitan Han Tomb on the west bank of Nanyang Baihe River. Judging from the posture, manner and walking posture, the cow led by the cowherd on the right is undoubtedly a domesticated farm cow-Nanyang Yellow Cattle. The sitting posture of Weaver Girl in the lower left corner is also the working posture of women in Han Dynasty.

The hometown of silk originated from the "emperor's daughter mulberry"

Nanyang is the hometown of silk with a long history. According to historical records, sericulture and silk industry existed in the Zhou Dynasty. During the Western Han Dynasty, Nanyang County was one of the eight silk producing areas in China. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Heng recorded the words of "the mulberry of the imperial daughter" praising his hometown in Nan Fu. The "Huangnvsang" recorded in Shan Hai Jing and Zhongshan Jing is a silkworm god who knelt down by a tree and lived in Nanshan (also known as Xuanshan). Taipei Wang Xiaolian's "Flower God under Mulberry Trees" records that "this woman with long hair on her knees is also the mythical mulberry god, that is, the daughter of the emperor who mentioned' Huangsang' before, and perhaps the earliest' Weaver Girl' in the Cowherd story."

Nanyang nanzhao county is known as "the hometown of tussah". Artificial stocking of tussah began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Silkworm Slope Charter Monument erected in Nanzhao in the 10th year of Guangxu's reign reads, "Yesterday, Mrs. Huangdi taught the people to silkworm ... After the Han Dynasty, the silkworm in Guangwu Jiang Ye became a cocoon and was buried in the mountains".

Many versions of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are inseparable from the weaving technology of the Weaver Girl. In the folklore of Tian Kai, the birthplace of Pangu, it is recorded how the Weaver Girl taught the skills of sericulture, reeling and weaving. This is closely related to the famous Nanyang silk. Begging for Qiao, a custom activity originated from Valentine's Day in China, is mainly because the Weaver Girl is the "daughter of the Emperor of Heaven" and is ingenious and admired by girls on earth. Now when people talk about begging for cleverness, they often quote the record in The Story of Jingchu Times written by Nanyang people in the Southern and Northern Dynasties: July 7th is the night when Petunia and Weaver Girl get together. Is it the evening women who tie the colored floor, wear seven-hole needles, or use gold and silver? ? Stone is the needle, and Chen Guaguo is clever in court.

Nanyang is located in Jingchu, so it has formed the custom of begging for cleverness. This grand occasion is evidenced by a folk song: "Look at the blue sky on Tanabata tonight, lead the cowherd and weaver girl across the river bridge, and every family looks forward to the autumn moon wearing HongLing." The above witnessed the initial relationship between the Weaver Girl and Nanyang Silk in Begging for Cleverness.

Nanyang cattle have a long history.

The localization of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is not only related to the characters, places and places in the legend, but also reflects the obvious characteristics of agricultural areas. Cattle raising is an indispensable labor force in agricultural areas and the main "productivity" of farming. At the same time, the cow is also the main role in the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Nanyang Yellow Cattle is one of the top five thoroughbred cattle in China, enjoying a high reputation at home and abroad. Nanyang cattle has a long history, which naturally produces many stories of "cattle": "Funiu Mountain", "Chang 'e Black Cattle" and "Priscilla Cattle Raising" ... Cowherd and Weaver Girl are one of the most wonderful stories. Today, Nanyang is a large agricultural area, and the agricultural field in Han Dynasty is also brilliant. Zhang Heng praised his hometown's Du Nan Fu for its meaning of "hundred valleys, wings and harmony".

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, Nanyang yellow cattle had already entered the stage of house feeding and captivity. A native of Qin Xiang Bai Li Xi, he is good at raising cattle. In his down-and-out life, he lived by herding cattle in Qilingang, west of Nanyang. He once heard that Zhou Tianzi liked cattle, that is, raising cattle as a ladder to meet him, which was a much-told story. In the Han Dynasty, bullfighting became a popular activity in Nanyang at that time, and a large number of cattle images appeared in the world-famous Han Dynasty stone relief in Nanyang. Nowadays, the annual Yellow Cattle Festival enables Nanyang yellow cattle culture to be passed down.

It is not surprising that such a source of "Niu" culture has created "Niujiazhuang" in the west of Nanyang and "Niulangzhuang" on the east bank of Baihe River.

Historical sites can be seen everywhere.

In the versions of the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl circulated in Sanglin and Sangzhuang all over the country, either the location of the story is not stated, and almost all of them point to "there is a Niujiazhuang twenty miles west of Nanyang City" or "Cowherd is from Sanglin County ...". Folklore expert Zhang also said in "On the Evolution of Classical Myths in the Central Plains": "Cowherd is called Ruyi, and he is from Sanglin Village in the west of Nanyang City ...".

According to the story spread from ancient times to modern times, we can still find the ancient mulberry forest and related relics, customs and legends 20 miles west of Nanyang. In the place name survey of 198 1, according to a learned old man Wu De, "I heard from my grandmother that it was called' Sanglin' in ancient times. Since I got married here, Zhuangbei has a hundred acres of ancient mulberry forest. " There is a Han tomb site, commonly known as "mulberry grave" by villagers. There are a lot of Han bricks and mulberry hairs in the grass and beside the ridge.

Sangzhuang (Sanglin) is located in today's "Twenty Li Gang", close to the official road "Xialu" from ancient times to the present. In the spring of 839 AD, Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, entered Beijing from Xuanzhou as an official. On the way, he passed the hometown of Cowherd and Weaver Girl. In "A Journey to the Country", it is written with great emotion: "In spring, halfway south and halfway west, Rousang crosses the village dock ..................", referring to the "Mulberry Forest" area. The poet painted a beautiful panoramic view of the "mulberry forest" in the west of Nanyang by line drawing, in which "soft mulberry crossing the village dock" described the vast mulberry forest and covered the village.

Cowherd Village and Weaver Village In the widely circulated legend of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, the Cowherd in Hexi was driven out of the house by his sister-in-law, left the mulberry forest (also known as Niujiazhuang) with an old cow and a broken car, and lived on the east bank of the river. This is very consistent with the legend of "Niulangzhuang" on the east bank of Baihe River.

Located on the east bank of Baihe River, "Niulangzhuang" has the name of this village since ancient times, and still retains Niulang's homestead, drinking cow pit, Niujiazhong and Queqiao. Shi Wa Village, more than a mile away, is commonly known as the "Weaver Girl Village". Since ancient times, girls in Shi Wa have never married "Cowherd and Weaver Girl", which is a marriage custom influenced by the love tragedy of "Cowherd and Weaver Girl". The local people believe that although the cowherd and the weaver girl love each other, they can't live forever, which has become a lingering shadow in the local area. There is also a saying that Niulangzhuang is too poor. For thousands of years, no girl in Shi Wa village has married Niulangzhuang.

There is a legend in Niulangzhuang: The Weaver Girl who picks mulberry meets the Cowherd in Hexi on the bank of Baihe River and falls in love. Weaver girl secretly married Cowherd despite her parents' opposition. Over time, Weaver Girl's parents discovered and separated them. Cowherd, who is eager for his wife, is rushing to find scalpers here. Because Weaver's parents think Cowherd is too pitiful and don't allow them to meet. In desperation, the cowherd built a hut nearby and settled down. Over time, today's "Cowherd Village" was formed. However, the unchanging affection made them meet quietly on the magpie bridge near the village and talk about their feelings of parting.

Historical records all refer to Nanyang.

The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is widely circulated among the people all over the country, with many versions, but the core content is basically the same. Myths and legends have formed the same story from birth to spread. Generally speaking, adhering to the place name and scenery of the place of origin is a manifestation of the localization of myths and legends, which makes people feel emotionally or intuitively that this story is more credible and spread more widely.

Su Yan, a poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, wrote in the poem "The Weaver Girl" on July 7th: "The Weaver Girl misses the North, and the Cowherd sighs about Nanyang …", but in the story versions circulating all over the country, almost all the stories point to "There is a Niujiazhuang twenty miles west of Nanyang City" or "The Cowherd is a mulberry man in Nanyang County …". Such as "Folk Myth" and "Folk Festival" by Haiyan Publishing House 1997; China Folk Encyclopedia 2001published by Xinjiang People's Publishing House; Festival Customs published by Religious Publishing House in 2004; China Festival published by Asia Communications Press in 2005, etc. Others, such as online communication, newspapers, and oral legends clearly point to Nanyang, which is even more numerous.

The articles "Folk Festival" and "Legend of Chinese Valentine's Day" published by Haiyan Publishing House 1997 not only record Ruyi's living in a small mulberry village in the west of Nanyang, but also mention "Nanyang", "Baihe" and "Funiu Mountain" many times in the story, which is completely set in Nanyang: "Nanyang silk, woven by a loom, is thin and shiny. With the export of Nanyang silk, the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl has also spread to all parts of the country. "

The characters, places and scenery in different versions all point to Nanyang, which fully conforms to the localization characteristics of myths and legends.

Valentine's Day custom in China is enduring.

Nowadays, China Valentine's Day custom, a traditional festival originated from the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, is popular in thirteen counties (cities, districts) under the jurisdiction of Nanyang, and it is colorful and unique in Nanyang. Its manifestations include sacrificial ceremonies, temple fairs, eating customs, marriage customs, mourning customs, children's songs, folk songs, drums, games and so on. According to historical records such as Records of the Ming Jiajing Nanyang Mansion and Nanyang Folk Custom, Nanyang Tanabata is still very popular in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, and there is a saying that "the cowherd and the weaver girl are in the sky on the seventh day of July every year" and so on. On this day, various troupes perform Tianhe Competition.

The seventh day of July not only inherited the customs of "frying the fruit properly", "begging for cleverness" and "offering sacrifices". This morning, the old man will kill the rooster that announced the dawn, for fear that it will announce the dawn ahead of time and shorten the meeting time of the cowherd and the weaver girl. The villagers miss Cowherd and Weaver Girl. On Tanabata in July every year, they would drill under the tea bean stand, put fruits and vegetables, and tell the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl and the origin of Valentine's Day in China. Especially girls and boys, hiding under the tea bean stand, looking at the sky and talking about love.

Every year around the seventh day of July, Niulangzhuang on the east bank of Baihe River and its surrounding villagers will go to Niujiazhong in Niulangzhuang to burn incense and pray for their children. On Valentine's Day in China in 2007, thousands of people flocked to Cowherd Village to explore the remains of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, and to worship and pray for them. On this day, the first Qixi Cultural Festival and the 10,000-person blind date conference jointly organized by Wancheng District Government and other units were a complete success.

On the seventh day of February every year, in the "Sanglin" 20 miles west of Nanyang, villagers spontaneously organize the "Cowherd and Weaver Girl Spring Festival", which has a history of hundreds of years. According to Wei Wen, an old man who has been running the Spring Festival for generations, spring ploughing is about to begin. The villagers hold the annual Spring Festival in order to miss the cowherd and the weaver girl and pray for good weather. The Spring Festival lasts for three days, with troupe, scalper trade, material exchange and folk activities, full of the fragrance of rural soil. During this period, more young men and women fell in love and were reluctant to part. At the spring meeting in 2007, the famous writer Er Yuehe also happily became an "honorary villager of Sanglin".

In addition, there are countless folk songs, children's songs, folk songs and drum words circulating in Nanyang. Even when working, the lyrical labor trumpeter compares the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl: "There is a Zhang Qijie in the sky who gives flowers to others ... like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl". For thousands of years, the girls in the "Weaver Girl Village" never married the Cowherd Village, which is a typical marriage custom in the origin of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

To sum up, the ancient Chu-Han culture and the specific regional environment gave birth to the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl. At the same time, it is reasonable to spread the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to all corners of the country in commercial cities, important transportation hubs and military sites with businesses all over the world.