Chinese Valentine’s Day, also known as QiXi (七夕), occurs on the seventh night of the seventh month according to Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it falls on August 14th.
The festival is related to a legend of Niu Lang(牛郎) and Zhi Nü(织女). Niu Lang, was a poor cow farmer. With the help of his cow, once believed to be an incarnated god, Niu Lang managed to marry Zhi Nü, a skillful weaver. However, Zhi Nü was also the youngest daughter of the Queen of Heaven. They lived a happy life on the earth and had two children. But the Queen of Heaven would not allow such a marriage, so she called her daughter back. Niu Lang ran after his wife by using the magical cowhide, but the Queen of Heaven drew a line between them with her hairpin. This line became the Milky Way. Niu Lang and Zhi Nü were separated and had no way to reach other. They missed each other so much that eventually the Queen of Heaven allowed them to meet once a year. They met on a bridge of magpies across the Milky Way on QiXi. To this day it is considered Chinese Valentine’s Day.
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