The Star Festival: Love, Stars, and the Seventh of Seven

The Star Festival: Love, Stars, and the Seventh of Seven

Tonight is a very special night. It is the seventh day of the seventh month, which means it is the Star Festival. This is a Chinese and Japanese holiday. In Chinese, the Star Festival is called "Qixi"; and in Japanese, the Star Festival is called "Tanabata". The holiday is inspired by a bittersweet fairy tale, "The Weaver Girl and the Oxherd Boy", about a couple who can only be together once each year. Why the seventh day of the seventh month? Because the weaver girl is the personification of the star Vega, and the weaver boy is the personification of the star Altair. The Milky Way galaxy is the river that separates them. The constellation Cygnus, a group of stars shaped like a bird, is the bridge of magpies. On the night of the seventh day of the seventh month, Vega and Altair appear in the sky together. The two versions of the fairy tale are different, and I will tell both here. 

Chinese version: Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of Heaven, the king and the queen of the gods, had seven fairy daughters. The seventh of the daughters was named Zhinu. At the same time, there was a young man named Niulang living with his older brother and his sister-in-law. They treated Niulang poorly, and his only friend was the family's old ox. One day, the fairy sisters came down to the Earth for a swim. The ox saw them, and showed Niulang where they were. Six of the fairies ran away, but Zhinu stayed behind. When Zhinu and Niulang saw each other, they fell immediately in love. The couple married. Niulang farmed with the old ox plowing the field and Zhinu wove cloth. They started a family, having two sons, and they were very happy. But when the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of Heaven learned about the couple's marriage, they were angry. They took Zhinu from her husband and brought her back to Heaven. Niulang was distraught after his wife left. When the old ox saw his friend's sadness, he showed Niulang how to build a magic boat he could use to follow Zhinu. Niulang got in the magic boat with his sons so he could reunite his family. They sailed up into the sky, through the spirit world. But when Niulang and his sons reached the gates of Heaven, the Queen Mother of Heaven stopped them. She took a pin from her hair and scratched the sky, forming the Heavenly River. A flock of magpies flying through the sky saw Niulang in his boat. They stretched out their wings and formed a bridge over the Heavenly River. Niulang and his sons crossed over the magpies' bridge and reunited with Zhinu. When the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of Heaven saw this, they were filled with pity. They agreed to let Nuilang and his sons see Zhinu once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. From then on, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year, the magpies make a bridge over the Heavenly River and Niulang and his sons go across it to see Zhinu.

Japanese version: Once upon a time, there was a princess named Orihime, who lived in the sky. Her father was Tentei, the king of the sky. Every day, Orihime would sit by the bank of the river of stars that runs across the sky, and weave cloth. It was such beautiful cloth that the gods would wear it. But because she spent almost all of her time working she was horribly lonely. She wanted to fall in love. Tentei saw his daughter's sadness, and sought a husband for her. He found the perfect man, Hikoboshi. Hikoboshi was the herder who tended the gods' cattle, and he lived on the other side of the river of stars. Tentei brought his daughter to meet Hikoboshi. When Orihime and Hikoboshi saw each other, they fell immediately in love. The couple married. They spent all of their time together, and they were very happy. But because they were so in love, Orihime and Hikoboshi ignored their work. Orihime stopped weaving, and Hikoboshi neglected his cows. The gods had no new cloth for their clothes, and the gods' cows wandered all over the sky. This angered Tentei. He decided to separate the couple, sending Hikoboshi back over the river of stars. The separated lovers went back to work. As she wove her cloth, Orihime became sad again. When Tentei saw this, he was filled with pity. He agreed to let Orihime see Hikoboshi once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. When Orihime and Hikoboshi went to the banks of the river of stars to see each other again, they saw there was no bridge. They despaired, for they could not reach each other. Orihime cried and cried. A flock of magpies flying through the sky heard her weeping. They stretched out their wings and formed a bridge over the river of stars. Orihime crossed the bridge to be with Hikoboshi. From then on, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year, the magpies make a bridge over the river of stars and Orihime goes across it to see Hikoboshi.

I think the fairy tale - both versions - of the weaver girl and the oxherd boy is beautiful. It's a tragic romance, yet full of hope; exactly the kind of story that appeals to my romantic heart. The connections to the stars make the story even lovelier and more meaningful.