Today
was the celebration and my mother and my grandmother buys fruits (grape fruit,
lee chi, peach). We bring out the fruits and spirit money outside out balcony
for the seven maidens to come down and eat it before we do. Then we light the
incense and bring it outside to put it into a Chinese mug object. My mom, grandma,
and I go outside to pray and worship by bending down 3-5 times. My grandma or
mom would say things while I’m praying and worshipping, telling the maidens
to give me good luck in my future, good education, school, and everything else
I would expect. After all the praying was done, we would wait a while inside
the house and then go back outside and collect the food.
We would eat grass jelly and take it out of the can, slide it onto a plate or
big bowl, and slice it up into tiny pieces. We would also put white sugar on
it to make it sweet and deliciously to eat. We would also eat lung-an and pick
them with a toothpick, grape fruit and everything we bought for the day. While
we'll be eating, my grandmother would go outside and burn the spirit money and
spirit paper. The spirit money is money for them; they come as 1000 dollars
or more. The paper money, when you burn it, the maidens will accept as clothing
for them, or anything they want it to be. My family and I would rest after the
celebration was done, and then go to sleep.
The girls mostly worshipped and prayed for this celebration. What surprised me was that this celebration didn't need no dancing and singing to it. I think that I would still celebrate this celebration when I'm older because I want to pass it down to my own family to keep the Chinese celebrations going. In other Asia parts of the world, girls are suppose to prepare melons, fruits, to worship, and praying that their wishes for a good marriage will come true. They would bathe in the morning because observing abstinent rules and preparing sacrifices on the 7th day's evening, women burned incense at the courtyard to worship the two stars. Unmarried girls ask The Cowherd And The Weaving Maid to match them with suitable mates. Married women asked to be blesses by giving birth to sons. Afterwards, the women would participate in contests to see who could be the first to thread a seven-eyed needle, which represents the seven weaving maidens. Nowadays, The legend of Weaving Maid and The Cowherd is called the "Chinese Lovers Day". And the most important is the day we celebrate "Weaving Maid And The Cowherd" is on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
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