Every country has its own unique customs and
tradition. Chinese people also have a different date and reason for
Valentine's Day celebrations. In China, Valentines Day falls on the 7th
day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Chinese Valentines
Day is based on the love story of the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven
and an orphaned cowherd, as to how they were separated by the Emperor.
The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the cowherd was
moved to the star Altair. They were permitted to meet only in a single
day in the entire year i.e. 7th day of 7th lunar month.
History of Chinese Valentines Day
There was once a good-looking poor orphaned boy, who lived with his
elder brother and sister-in-law. After his parents passed away, his
brother inherited the house and the land. The boy owned only an old ox.
He used to work on the farm's field with the ox everyday and known as
cowherd. The ox was not actually an ordinary ox. He was an immortal from
heaven. His mistakes in heaven had earned him the punishment of serving
as an ox on Earth. One day, the ox said to the boy, "You are a nice
person. If you want to get married, go to the brook and your wish will
be come true."
The boy went to the brook and saw the 7 pretty daughters of Emperor of
Heaven, who had come down to take a bath. Fascinated by the youngest,
and the most beautiful one, the boy took away her fairy clothes
secretly. She was good at handcrafting, the reason why she was known as
Weaving Maid. She also used to weave clouds and rainbows to beautify the
world. After their bathing was over, six of the seven fairies went back
to heaven. However, the youngest couldn't fly back without her fairy
clothes. At that point of time, the boy appeared and told her that he
would not return her clothes unless she promised to be his wife.
The fairy promised the handsome cowherd to be his life partner. They got
married and started living happily with each other. One day, the Emperor
found the sky has lost its charm without his 7th daughter weaving clouds
and rainbows. He ordered the daughter's grandmother to get his daughter
back. When the 7th princess was flying to the heaven with her
grandmother, the cowboy wore the ox hide and chased after his wife in
the sky. The grandmother was clever enough to make a milky way in the
sky with her hairpin, which kept them separated.
By the command of the emperor, the 7th princess was moved to the star
Vega (The swooping - Eagle) in the Lyra (Harp) constellation. The boy,
on the other hand, stayed on the star Altair (Flying one) in the Aquila
(Eagle) constellation. Both were estranged and started living
separately, with the hope of meeting once in a year. Stirred by their
true love and many of the magpies gathered and formed a bridge for the
couple to meet in the evening of the 7th day of the 7th lunar month,
which is the day the Emperor permitted them to meet once a year.
Chinese people say that it's hard to find a magpie on Valentine's Day,
because all magpies fly to make the bridge for the seventh fairy and the
boy. Another thing that has been noted is that the feathers on the head
of the magpies are much lesser after Chinese Valentine's Day. Chinese
people also believe that if rains on the night Valentine's Day, it is
not water, but the tears of the seventh fairy and the boy. The star of
Vega is also known as the Weaving Maid Star and the star of Altair is as
the Cowherd Star in China.
