Chinese Valentines Day

Although the Chinese don’t necessarily celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, they do have a day devoted to the same idea. This is called Qi Qiao Jie, which takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month. This year the holiday falls on August 26th. There are two legends associated with this day.

The first version involves the seven daughters of the Goddess of Heaven who are batheing in the river. A cowherd named Niu Lang sees them and decides to run off with their clothing. Realizing that they’re in an awkward predicament, they enlist the youngest daughter, Zhi Nu, to go after him to get their clothes back. She happened to also be the most attractive of all the daughters.
Since Niu Lang has now seen Zhi Nu naked, they have to get married. The couple lived happily for several years. However, her mother, the Goddess of Heaven, eventually decided she wanted her daughter to return home. But seeing their wedded bliss, she allows them to be reunited once a year. So on the seventh night of the seventh month, magpies form a bridge with their wings enabling Zhi Nu to cross over and be with her husband and children.

The second version is less well-known. In this story, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu were fairies who had fallen in love but were living on opposite sides of the Milky Way. The Jade Emperor felt sorry for the two fairies and decided to bring them together. They became so caught up with one another that they failed to do their work. So the Emperor forbid them to be together except for one night a year—the seventh night of the seventh.

On this night, those interested in the astrological connection of Qi Qiao Jie can see Zhi Nu in the sky in the form of the star Vega, east of the Milky Way. On the west side of the Milky Way is the constellation Aquila which represents Niu Lang waiting for his lover to join him.