Qi Xi Festifal
And
Valentine’s Day
Festival
Qi Xi Festifal falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. In China, this day is also known as "The Begging Festival".
One day, a fairy from heaven Zhi Nv fell in love with him and came down secretly （偷偷地） to earth and married him. Niu Lang farmed in the field and Zhi Nv wove at home. They lived a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl.
一天，一个来自天庭叫织女的仙女对他一见 钟情并和他结婚了。牛郎在田里耕作，织女在 家里织布。他们生了一对可爱的儿女，过着幸 福的生活。
Unfortunately（不幸的）, the God of Heaven soon found out the fact and ordered the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring Zhi Nv back .With the help of cattle, Niu Lang flew to heaven with his son and daughter. At the time when he was about to catch up with his wife, the Queen Mother took off one of her gold hairpins and made a stroke.
1, When is Qi Xi Festival?
七夕在什么时候？
2, Also known as what festival?
七夕又叫什么？
3, Who are the main characters in the story?
谁是故事的主角？
4, What do people do at Qi Xi Festival?
然而好景不长，天庭发现了他们并命令王母把织 女带回天庭。在牛的帮助下，牛郎带着他的儿女飞向 天庭。在他快要见到妻子的时候，王母用金簪划了一 条线。
One billowy river appeared（出现） in front of Niu Lang. Niu Lang and Zhi Nv were separated（分开） on the two banks forever and could only feel their tears.
人们在七夕做什么？
5, What other Chinese festivals do you know?
你还知道什么中国传统节日吗？
他们俩忠贞的爱情感动了喜鹊，所以成千上万 的的喜鹊为他俩见面搭建了一座鹊桥。王母最终 也被感动允许他们在每年农历的七月七日见面。 因此他们见面的日子叫做“七夕”
Evolution——Custom
In the evening, people sit outdoors to observe the stars. Chinese grannies would say that, if you stand under a grapevine, you can probably（也许） overhear what Zhi Nv and Niu Lang are talking about. On this night, women wear Qiqiao needles and pray（祷告） blessing activities, display various（各种各样的） furnitures（家具）, appliances（用具）.
七夕节在农历的七月七日，在中国，这 一天又叫做“乞巧节”。
Origin: Romantic legend
Long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted fellow named Niu Lang. His parents died when he was a child. He was brought up by his brother. Later he was driven out of his home by his sister-in-law. So he lived by himself herding cattle and farming. 很久很久以前，有一个诚实善良的男孩 叫牛郎。他的父母他很小的时候就去世了。他 的哥哥把他抚养长大，之后他被他的嫂子赶出 家门。所以他靠放牧和种地生存。
七夕之夜，未婚女子通常会向织女星乞巧，也会乞求姻缘。 她们将一根针放在水面上，倘若针不下沉的话，她们就能 得偿所愿。据说这一晚女孩子们能祈求任何心愿成真。
Nowadays Today some traditional customs are still observed in rural areas of China, but have been weakened（虚弱 的） or diluted（稀释） in urban cities. In recent years, in particularly（尤其），urban youths have celebrated it as Valentine’s Day in China. The businessmen push Valentine’s Day for profits so that it is more popular than Qi Xi. 今天一些传统的习俗仍然在中国的农村地区流传，但 在城市被削弱或稀释了。特别是近年来,城市年轻人 庆祝西方情人节。商人为盈利推行西方情人节，因 此西方情人节比七夕更流行。
在当天傍晚，人们会坐在门外乘凉观星。老人们 会说，如果你坐在葡萄藤下，你可以听到牛郎织 女在说悄悄话。在这一天晚上，妇女们穿针乞巧， 祈祷祝福的活动，陈列各式家nmarried girls prayed（祷告） to the Weaving Maid star for the special gift. When the star Vega was high up in the sky, girls performed a small test by placing a needle on the water‘s surface: If the needle did not sink, the girl was considered（考虑） to be ready to find a husband. Once a year, on this day, girls could wish for anything their hearts desired.
一条银河出现在牛郎面前。就这样，牛郎和 织女被这条银河永远的分隔在两边，只能含泪相 望。
Their loyalty（忠诚） to love touched magpies, so tens of thousands of magpies came to build a bridge for Niu Lang and Zhi Nv to meet each other. The Queen Mother was eventually（终于） moved and allowed them to meet each year on the 7th of the 7th lunar month. Hence their meeting date has been called "Qi Xi" .
Nowadays more and more Chinese people like to observe（庆祝） Valentine’s Day. However, the legend （传说） of Niu Lang and Zhi Nv has taken root in the hearts of the people. Many couples break up because of a quarrel and the divorce（离婚） rate is increasing （增进）, so people hope to own the loyal （忠诚的）love. 现在越来越多的中国人喜欢过西方情人节，然 而牛郎织女的传说在人民心中深深地扎了根，许 多情侣因为吵架而分手并且离婚率越来越高，所 以人们希望拥有像他们一样的爱情。