七夕节的起源英语

The legend has been handed down for nearly 2 millennia. The story has been recorded as far back as the Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD). Poets composed hundreds of verses on the love story and many types of Chinese opera tell the story. The Chinese people believe that the star Vega（织女星）, east of the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu and, at the constellation of Aquila（天鹰座）, on the western side of the Milky Way, Niu Lang waits for his wife. Zhi Nu was said to be the youngest of seven daughters of the Queen of Heaven. With her sisters, she worked hard to weave beautiful clouds in the sky, while Niu Lang was a poor orphan cowherd, driven out of his home by his elder brother and his cruel wife. Niu Lang lamented over his lonely and poor life with an old cow, his only friend and companion. The magical cow kindly told him of a way to find a beautiful and nice woman as his life companion. Under the direction of the cow, Niu Lang went to the riverside on an evening, where the seven fairies slipped out of their heavenly palace to bathe. He took one of the beautiful silk dresses the fairies had left on the bank. When the fairies left the water, the youngest couldn''t find her clothes and had to see her sisters fly back to heaven without her. Then Niu Lang came out with the dress and asked the youngest fairy, Zhi Nu, to stay with him. Several years passed on Earth, which were only a few days in heaven. Niu Lang and Zhi Nu lived happily together and had two children before the Queen of Heaven discovered Zhi Nu''s absence. She was so annoyed she had Zhi Nu brought back to heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying in the sky, Niu Lang was terrified. He caught sight of the cowhide hanging on a wall. The magical cow had told him before dying of old age: "Keep the cowhide（牛皮） for emergency use." Putting the cowhide on, he went after his wife with his two children. With the help of the cowhide, Niu Lang was able to follow Zhi Nu into heaven. He was about to reach his wife when the Queen showed up and pulled off her hairpin to draw a line between the two. The line became the Silver River in heaven, or the Milky Way. Zhi Nu went back to the heavenly workshop, going on weaving the clouds. But she was so sad, and missed her husband across the Silver River so much that the clouds she weaved seemed sad. Finally, the Queen showed a little mercy, allowing the couple to meet once every year on the Silver River.

七夕节的英语表达：

1、Chinese Valentine's Day

西方情人节（Valentine's Day）为公历2月14日，故七夕节也被称为中国的“情人节”。

2、Double Seventh Day/the Seventh Day of the Seventh Lunar Month

直接将节日日期译出是节日名称翻译的方法之一，七月初七是七夕节。

3、Magpie Festival

magpie有“喜鹊”的意思，传说中牛郎织女每年七月初七在鹊桥相会。

4、Qixi Festival

直接音译的处理方法也偶尔可见。

由来

“七夕”最早来源于人们对自然的崇拜。从历史文献上看，至少在三四千年前，随着人们对天文的认识和纺织技术的产生，有关牵牛星织女星的记载就有了。

人们对星星的崇拜远不止是牵牛星和织女星，他们认为东西南北各有七颗代表方位的星星，合称二十八宿，其中以北斗七星最亮，可供夜间辨别方向。

北斗七星的第一颗星叫魁星，又称魁首。后来，有了科举制度，中状元叫“大魁天下士”，读书人把七夕叫“魁星节”，又称“晒书节”，保持了最早七夕来源于星宿崇拜的痕迹。

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the only Chinese festival devoted to love in the Lunar calendar.

Unlike St. Valentine's Day in Western countries there is not so much emphasis on giving chocolates, flowers and kisses.

Instead, Chinese girls prepare fruits, melons and incense as offerings to Zhi Nu, the weaving maiden.

Praying to acquire high skills in needlecraft, as well as hoping to find satisfactory husbands.

In the evening, people sit outdoors to observe the stars.

Chinese grannies would say that, if you stand under a grapevine, you can probably overhear what Zhi Nu and Niu Lang are talking about.

农历七月初七是中国唯一的一个关于爱情的节日。

与西方国家的情人节不同的是，人们并没有那么重视巧克力、鲜花和亲吻。

相反，中国女孩准备水果、瓜香作为祭品送给织女，祈祷获得高超的针线工艺，并希望找到令人满意的丈夫。

晚上，人们坐在户外看星星。中国的奶奶们会说，如果你站在葡萄树下，你可能会无意中听到织女和牛郎在说什么。

扩展资料：

七夕（中国传统节日）一般指七夕节，又称七巧节、七姐节、女儿节、乞巧节、七娘会、巧夕、牛公牛婆日、双七等，是中国民间的传统节日，为传统意义上的七姐诞，因拜祭活动在七月七日晩上举行，故名“七夕”。

拜七姐，祈福许愿、乞求巧艺、坐看牵牛织女星、祈祷姻缘、储七夕水等，是七夕的传统习俗。经历史发展，七夕被赋予了“牛郎织女”的美丽爱情传说，因被赋予了与爱情有关的内涵，使其成为了象征爱情的节日，从而被认为是中国最具浪漫色彩的传统节日，在当代更是产生了“中国情人节”的文化含义。

七夕节既是拜七姐节日也是爱情节日，是一个以“牛郎织女”民间传说为载体，以祈福、乞巧、爱情为主题，以女性为主体的综合性节日。七夕的“牛郎织女”来源于人们对自然天象的崇拜，上古时代人们将天文星区与地理区域相互对应，这个对应关系就天文来说，称作“分星”，就地理来说，称作“分野”；牛郎织女星象对应地理分野的记载见于《汉书·地理志》：“粤地，牵牛、婺女之分野也”。

七夕节发源于中国，是世界上最早的爱情节日，在七夕节的众多民俗当中，有些逐渐消失，但还有相当一部分被人们延续了下来。在部分受中华文化影响的亚洲国家如日本、朝鲜半岛、越南等也有庆祝七夕的传统。2006年5月20日，七夕节被中华人民共和国国务院列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。

参考资料来源：百度百科-七夕

I don't know

七夕节的由来英文

Qixi Festival (Chinese: 七夕节), also known as the QiqiaoFestival (Chinese: 乞巧节),is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting ofthe cowherd and weaver girl in Chinesemythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on theChinese calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the ChineseValentine's Day, or the MagpieFestival. Thisis an important festival, especially for young girls.

The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers,Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver maid and the cowherd, respectively. Thetale of The Weaver Girl andthe Cowherd has beencelebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han Dynasty.The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 yearsago, which was told in a poem from the Classic ofPoetry. The festival inspired Tanabata in Japan and Chilseok in Korea.

Mythology

The general tale is about a love storybetween Zhinu (the weaver girl, symbolizing Vega) and Niulang (thecowherd, symbolizingAltair).Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of theSilver River (symbolizing the Milky Way). Once a year, on the 7th day ofthe 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite thelovers for one day. There are many variations of the story. A variationfollows:

A young cowherd, hence Niulang (Chinese: 牛郎; literally: "cowherd"), cameacross a beautiful girl—Zhinü (simplified Chinese: 织女; traditional Chinese: 织女; literally: "weavergirl"),the Goddess's seventh daughter, who had just escaped from boring heaven to lookfor fun. Zhinü soon fell in love with Niulang, and they got married without theknowledge of the Goddess. Zhinü proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang tobe a good husband. They lived happily and had two children. But the Goddess ofHeaven (or in some versions, Zhinü's mother) found out thatZhinü, a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The Goddess was furious andordered Zhinü to return to heaven. (Alternatively, the Goddess forced the fairyback to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds, a task she neglected whileliving on earth with a mortal.) On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wifehad disappeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killedit and put on its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife.Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two belovedchildren off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess discovered this and was veryangry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky toseparate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way betweenAltair and Vega. Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weavingon her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar while taking care of their twochildren (his flanking stars β and γ Aquilae orby their Chinese names Hè Gu 1 and Hè Gu 3). But once a year all the magpies inthe world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge (鹊桥,"the bridge of magpies", Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may betogether for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon.

Traditions

Young girls partake in worshiping thecelestials (拜仙) during rituals. They go to the local temple to pray toZhinü for wisdom. Paper items are usually burned as offerings. Girls mayalso recite traditional prayers for dexterity in needlework, which symbolizethe traditional talents of a good spouse. Divination could take place todetermine possible dexterity in needlework. They make wishes for marryingsomeone who would be a good and loving husband. During the festival, girls makea display of their domestic skills. Traditionally, there would be contestsamongst young girls who attempted to be the best in threading needles underlow-light conditions like the glow of ember or a half moon. Today, girlssometimes gather toiletries in honor of the seven maidens.

The festival also held an importance fornewly-wed couples. Traditionally, they would worship the celestial couplefor the last time and bid farewell to them. The celebration stood symbol for ahappy marriage and showed that the married woman was treasured by her newfamily.

During this festival, a festoon isplaced in the yard. Single and newly-wed women make offerings to Niulang andZhinü, which may include fruit, flowers, tea, and face powder.After finishing the offerings, half of the face powder is thrown on the roofand the other half divided among the young women. It is believed that by doingthis, the women are bound in beauty with Zhinü. Tales say that it will rain onthis fateful day if there's crying in heaven. Other tales say that you can hearthe lovers talking if you stand under grapevines on this night.

On this day, the Chinese gaze to the skyto look for Vega and Altair shiningin the Milky Way, while a third star formsa symbolic bridge between the two stars. It was said that if itrains on this day that it was caused by a river sweeping away the magpiebridge, or that the rain is the tears of the separated couple. Based on the legendof a flock of magpies forming a bridge to reunite the couple, a pair of magpiescame to symbolize conjugal happiness and faithfulness.