Double seventh heaven for romantics

As well as being the eve of the Olympics, yesterday was Double Seventh Festival day, an ancient celebration similar to Valentine's Day.

The Qixi Festival, as it is known in Mandarin¹, falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month each year.

Keen² to celebrate the day of romance³, 26-year-old Gao Xin and her boyfriend bought 200 small red flags and handed them out yesterday to people in Quancheng Square in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.

"We will always remember this year's Qixi Festival, as it is such a great day and we have done such great things to celebrate," Gao said.

Beijinger Wang Fugui said he loves the ancient costumes associated with the festival, which dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 200).

So yesterday, he and other clothes lovers⁴ held an ancient sporting contest, which included such events as cuju (ancient football), jiaoli (ancient wrestling) and archery.

All of the competitors wore period costumes.

"We held the games and wore the costumes to celebrate Qixi, and send our best wishes for the Olympics," Wang said.

The festival was also celebrated⁵ by Olympic volunteers.

Wu Xiaofei, a 24-year-old volunteer at the Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, said: "This year, I will spend the evening with other volunteers instead of my boyfriend.

"There won't be any roses or a candlelit dinner, but it will still be a great celebration," she said.

College students Huang Yin and Wei Shaocong, volunteers at the Wukesong basketball stadium in Beijing, said they will celebrate together as soon as they finish work.

"We won't finish until 10 pm, but we'll spend the last few hours of the festival on the roof of my flat, sitting together and staying up waiting for the dawn of the big day," Huang said.

The Double Seventh Festival is based on an ancient legend.

In the distant past, a kindhearted man named Niulang, or Cowhand⁶, married a fairy called Zhinu, or Weaver⁷ Maid, who had escaped from Heaven to be with him.

They lived a happy life together and she gave birth to a boy and a girl.

Unfortunately, the God of Heaven found out about the couple and the Queen Mother wanted to separate them.

She used her gold hairpins⁸ to make a river between them. The Cowhand and the Weaver Maid were separated on the two banks forever and could feel only each other's tears.

Finally, their love touched the local magpies⁹, so tens of thousands of them built a bridge across the river.

The act moved even the Queen Mother who eventually agreed to let the two meet each year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.

Questions:

1.When is the Qixi festival celebrated?

2. When did China begin celebrating the festival?

3. What was the name of the woman in the Qixi festival legend?

Answers:

1. The 7th day of the 7th lunar month .

2. During the Han Dynasty .

3. Zhinu (Weaver Maid).