09 lantern fest lovers 04

2009 Taiwan Lantern Festival (Yuen Siu, 1st full moon night of Chinese calendar) It holds every year around Valentine's Day, a very very very romantic festival

In this tiny series, you will see the origin of 7th July Chi Zi (double 7th night) festival

Long ago, the Jade King, king of heavens, had a daughter named Weaver (the star Vega). One day, Weaver and her sisters come to mortal plane and took a bath in a lake. A youngster named Cowherd (the star Altair) who also works hard taking care of cows, found them and peeking on them. He stole one of the girls clothes, which actually was Weaver's. All the girls were shocked and took their heavenly costume and flee. However, poor Weaver could not fly without the heavenly clothes.

She asked what she had to do to let Cowherd release her. Well, Cowherd asked her to be his wife!

And they fell in love at the first glance and they now forgot their work for Jade King wasted. Instead, their time was spent mainly on taking care of the baby boy and girl they given birth.

The King was angry about it and sent heaven troops to take Weaver back to his heavenly palace. Cowherd and their children didn't have a chance to fight.

When all hope was lost, the dying old ox that Cowherd has been taking care for years told him to take his skin to make a leather coat. Cowherd only learned the ox was once a general of heavens that got exiled to mortal plane then.

So, Cowherd made the leather coat from the dead ox, and carry his children to heaven with a long and thick bamboo stick with 2 bamboo baskets on the sides. When Xi Wang Mu (Empress of West, supreme queen of heavens whose position r 2nd or equal to Jade King himself) found it, she was furious and cut the skies with her fingers, creating the angry Silver River (Milky Way) to stop the mortals from reaching heaven (WHY the queen of heaven in both Greek and Chinese myths r bitches?).

Poor Weaver and Cowherd family, they could not cross the Silver River and they cry for days and nights. The cry from children for their mom finally moved the cold hearted Empress and King to allow the couple meets ONCE PER YEAR on 7th July. On that day, Joy Birds will fly across the Silver River to become a bridge for the ill fated lovers to meet. Therefore, it is said that 7th July always rains as the raindrops r the lovers' tears.

I don't know why 7th July is named Lovers Festival in China. The story is so sad...
let them live apart separated by Ama no kawa (River in the Heaven, the Milky Way). Then Orihime was weeping all day long. The God pitied her and allowed them to meet once in a year at the night of 7th of July (July is the seventh month. Seven was lucky number from that time).
If it rains on this occasion, the River of Heaven is flooded and prevent them to meet. Therefore, on 6th of July, people pray for them not to rain on this day, dedicating Tanzaku (a strip of poetry paper) to the star in various colors writing their wishes (including people's own wishes) hanging them on leafy bamboo.