When
I was 6 years old, Mama and Papa always took me outside at night to tell me
legends of gods living in the sky up above us. One of the stories I heard was
about the Weaving Maid and Cowherd. When
I was 6 years old, Mama and Papa always took me outside at night to tell me
legends of gods living in the sky up above us. One of the stories I heard was
about the Weaving Maid and Cowherd.
I still remember it's a cool summer. Auntie has come over to our house for dinner. After dinner, we took chairs outside to enjoy the night. It was cool and windy. Mama and papa were sitting next to each other and jie jie and di di were sitting close by me. Auntie was sitting somewhere near us. She asked all of a sudden, "Do you guys know what day it is?"
All of us look at each other puzzled. Jie jie guesses, "Is it your birthday?"
Auntie laughs and says, "No, it's valentine's day!"
Mama smiles, "Yeah, how can I forget? Your grandma used to tell me a story about the weaving maid and the cowherd. It's time I pass on the story to you guys."
A very
long time ago there was a very hard working boy living on one side of the Silver
River. Everyone called him Cowherd. Everyday he would bring his cows to the
riverside to let them drink. When the cows were resting or playing in the water,
he would lay under the big tree and play his wooden flute. On the other side
of the Silver River lives a girl named Weaving Maid. She is a beautiful young
lady who knows how to make very smooth and delicate cloth. She is one of the
Emperor's favorite daughters. Everyday she would sit in her room and make clothes
for the gods. The emperor really liked those two young people, and he decides
on a marriage between them. Weaving Maid and Cowherd loved and respected each
other with all their heart. A month goes by, and the Emperor notices that he
didn'’t got any more new clothes to wear. He was wondering what's up with
the new couple, when the cow entered the room with bad temper. He said angrily,
"Your boy is not doing his job. Everyday he just stays at home with his
wife doing nothing!!"
The emperor
is so mad, he decides to separate them and never let them see each other again.
After their separation, cowherd and the weaving maid were really unhappy. They
begged the emperor to let them back together, and showed great regret for getting
lazy. The emperor's heart got soft from the tears and sadness of the young couple.
He decided to let them see each other on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.
Mama stopped and said, "That's end of the story.She looked at us and asked, "Do you know why the Emperor had to separate them?"
I answer her, "Because they were lazy and not doing their job."
Auntie smiled and said, "That's right, so now I hope you guys learn that love isn't everything. You have to work to get your happiness."
We all said, "Okay."
Many people do celebrate this as a holy day. On the 7th day of the 7th month on the lunar calendar, they put out foods, wines and incense on the table. People pray to them and hope they could have a happy meeting. Many people also choose that day to get married because it's such a romantic day. Every now and then, I look up at the starry sky and think of this story. If people listen to it deeply, you could really learn something. So look up at the sky when it's the 7th day of the 7th month on the lunar calendar. Try to find the stars that represent the cowherd and the weaving maid.
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