你知道吗：七夕的由来你知道多少？（双语）

　　If it rains heavily on Saturday night， some elderly Chinese will say it is because Zhinu， or the Weaving Maid， is crying on the day she met her husband Niulang， or the Cowherd， on the Milky Way。

　　若周六晚间下起倾盆大雨，一些长辈便会说，这是因为织女与丈夫牛郎在银河相聚时喜极而泣。

　　Most Chinese remember being told this romantic tragedy when they were children on Qixi， or the Seventh Night Festival， which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month， which is usually in early August。 This year it falls on Tuesday， August 9。

　　大多数中国人孩提时在七夕——农历七月七日，通常是在八月初——这一天会听到这一浪漫的悲情故事。今年是在8月9日，星期二。

　　Folklore Story

　　民间故事

　　Once there was a cowherd， Niulang， who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law。 But she disliked and abused him， and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company。

　　曾经有一个牧牛人，名叫牛郎，他和他的哥哥及嫂子生活在一起。但是他的嫂子不喜欢他，并虐待他，于是牛郎被迫离家出走与一头老牛相依为伴。

　　The cow， however， was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form。

　　然而，这头老牛曾是一位神仙，由于触犯天条并贬下凡间，做了一头牛。

　　One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth。 Among them was Zhinu， the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress。

　　一天，老牛带着牛郎来到一个湖边，这里是仙女下凡沐浴的地方。其中一个名叫织女，她是最漂亮的仙女，也是一名手艺娴熟的绣女。

　　The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married。 They had a son and daughter。

　　这两个人一见钟情，不久后便结婚了。之后便有了一个儿子和一个女儿。

　　Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor， the Supreme Deity in Taoism， marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden。 He ordered the heaven troop to catch Zhinu back。

　　但是，在玉皇大帝——道教的至高神明——的眼里，凡人和神仙是绝对不能够结婚的。他下令天兵天将前去捉拿织女。

　　Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu had been taken back to heaven。 Driven by Niulang’s misery， the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died。

　　当牛郎发现织女被带回了天庭之后变得伤心欲绝。老牛被牛郎的不幸遭遇所触动，它告诉牛郎，在它死后，把它的皮做成一双鞋。

　　The magic shoes whisked Niulang off on a chase after the empress。

　　这双神奇的鞋载着牛郎迅速去追赶王母娘娘。

　　The pursuit enraged the empress， who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife。

　　此举激怒了王母娘娘，于是她取下发髻在天上划了一下，便出现了银河，牛郎和织女从此天各一方。

　　But magpies， moved by their love， formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family。

　　但是，喜鹊被他们的爱深深感动了，于是他们便在银河上架起一座桥让他们一家团聚。

　　Even the Jade Emperor was touched， and allowed Niulang and Zhinu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month。

　　甚至，玉皇大帝也被感动了，于是他允许牛郎和织女每年在七月七日晚上相聚一次。

　　This is how Qixi came to be。 The festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty （206 BC-AD 220）。

　　这便是七夕的由来。这个节日可追溯至汉朝（公元前206年——公元220年）。

　　Customs

　　风俗习惯

　　In bygone days， Qixi was not only a special day for lovers， but also for girls。 It is also known as the “Begging for Skills Festival” or “Daughters’ Festival。”

　　在过去，七夕不仅仅是恋人们的特殊日子，对女孩子们而言，也意义非凡。它也被称为“乞巧节“或“女儿节”。

　　In this day， girls will throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qixi as a test of embroidery skills。 If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking， it proves the girl is a skilled embroiders。

　　在这一天，女孩子们会在七夕晚上向一个载满水的碗里投一枚针，作为刺绣能力的测试。如果针浮在水面而不是下沉，这就证明该女孩是一个熟练的刺绣者。

　　Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future。 And the newly married women pray to become pregnant quickly。

　　单身女性也会祈求在未来找到一位如意郎君。新婚女性会祈求早生贵子。

　　Tradition transformed

　　传统的改变

　　The love story of Niulang and Zhinu， and the Qixi Festival have been handed down for generations。 Yet these ancient traditions and customs are slowly dying out。

　　牛郎和织女的故事以及七夕节延续了数代人之久。但是，古老的传统和习俗也在慢慢地消失。

　　Many modern Chinese， particularly youngsters， seem to know more about St Valentine’s Day on February 14。

　　许多当代中国人，尤其是年轻人，似乎对2月14日的情人节了解更多。

　　Even Qixi is nowadays referred to as the “Chinese Valentine’s Day。” More and more young Chinese people begin to celebrate this day in a very similar way as that in western countries。

　　在今天，七夕甚至被称为“中国情人节”。越来越多的年轻人开始以一种十分类似于西方国家的方式来庆祝这一天。

　　Few young women will mark the festival with their boyfriends， or take part in traditional activities to pray for cleverness。

　　很少有年轻女性会和她们的男朋友纪念该节日，或者是参加传统活动来祈求巧慧。