牛郎织女

“七夕”与牛郎织女的传说
　　农历七月七日之夜，称“七夕”，中国民间有“乞巧”的习俗，故七夕又称“乞巧节”。 　　民间传说，七夕是牛郎织女鹊桥相会的日子。据说，牛郎是南阳城牛家庄的一个孤儿，依哥嫂过活。嫂子马氏为人刻薄，经常虐待他，他被迫分家出来，靠一头老牛自耕自食。这条老牛很通灵性，有一天，织女和诸仙女下凡游戏，在河里洗澡，老牛劝牛郎去取织女的衣服，织女便做了牛郎的妻子。婚后，他们男耕女织，生了一儿一女，生活十分美满幸福。不料天帝查知此事，派王母娘娘押解织女回天庭受审。老牛不忍他们妻离子散，于是触断头上的角，变成一只小船，让牛郎挑着儿女乘船追赶。眼看就要追上织女了，王母娘娘忽然拔下头上的金钗，在天空划出了一条波涛滚滚的银河。牛郎无法过河，只能在河边与织女遥望对泣。他们坚贞的爱情感动了喜鹊，无数喜鹊飞来，用身体搭成一道跨越天河的彩桥，让牛郎织女在天河上相会。王母娘娘无奈，只好允许牛郎织女每年七月七日在鹊桥上会面一次。 　　由于农历的七月七日正当雨季，所以这一天常常下雨，人们便说这是牛郎织女的眼泪。农村中的一些少男少女还会趴在豆角架的下面，据说可以听到牛郎织女的悄悄话。因为牛郎织女的故事美妙动人，所以直到今天，人们还常常以“牛郎织女”来描述夫妻的恩爱。
牛郎会织女年画
　　七夕之夜，妇女们还要向织女乞求智巧。如《荆楚岁时记》所载，南北朝时的乞巧方法是“结彩缕穿七孔针”，妇女们来回用丝线穿针，穿得快的自然就巧了。明清以后，更流行“丢巧针”的游戏。其方法是在七月七日这天的上午，取一碗水在日光下曝晒，顷刻之后，水面便产生一层薄膜。此时把平日缝衣或绣花的针投入碗中，若针浮在水面上，便是得巧了。
七月七水
　　传说每年的农历七月七日就是牛郎织女相会的日子，这一天常常都会下雨，而且这些雨水就是老人们常说的牛郎织女相会时所流下的眼泪，在民间人们就会在这一天，把家里的能盛雨水的坛子放在院子里，或者放在露天的阳台外接这些雨水，因为传说这些雨水能做药引子；还有一种说法就是用一个深一点的瓦或者瓷坛子盛接雨水，然后买一个和这个坛子大小相宜的冬瓜塞到坛子里面去，然后把坛子口密封起来，然后把坛子存放在屋里阴凉的地方，等些日子后打开，里面就成了一坛子七月七冬瓜汁了，相传这样的七月七水喝了能去火；夏天小孩身上长痱子，也可以用这些冬瓜水尝上珍珠末涂抹痱子，疗效甚好。

"Tanabata" and the Weaver Maid Legend
Lunar July 7th night, saying "Tanabata", Chinese folk of "Qi Qiao," the customs, so Tanabata called "Qi Qiao Festival." Folklore, Tanabata Magpie Bridge is Vega meet day. It is said that the city of Nanyang cattle Jia Zhuang Cowboy is an orphan, according to Gesao live. Sister in law Markov mean man, mistreated him, he was forced to split up, by a cow eat from farming. This cow is very psychic nature, one day, Weaver and various goddess games, bathing in the river, pick up Weaver Weaver advised cow clothes, Weaver, who made Cowboy's wife. Marriage, farming, men and women weaving, and begat a child and a daughter and lived a happy happy. Unexpectedly, the Emperor of Heaven check on the matter, escorted the Queen Mother sent back to heaven Weaver trial. Ox could not bear their wives and children, then touch off the head of the corner, into a small boat, so that children Cowboy lug boat chase. She was about to catch up with the Vega, and Queen Mother nobile head suddenly disconnect in the sky, rolling waves to draw a Galaxy. Cowboy can not cross the river, can only look into the distance on the river and the Weaver Girl weep. Their faithful love touched magpies, magpie flew numerous, physically barricaded a bridge across the Milky Way of color, so that in the Milky Way the Cowherd and Weaver Girl Meet. The Queen Mother had no option but to allow Vega on July 7th annual meeting at the bridge of magpies at once. Just as the lunar July 7 rainy season, so this day always raining, people would say that this is Vega in tears. Some boys and girls in rural areas will lie in the beans stand in the following was said in whispers can be heard Vega. As beautiful and moving story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, so even today, people often "Cowherd and Weaver Girl" to describe the couple's love.
Cowherd and Weaver Girl New Year will
Tanabata night, the women have to beg to Weaver ingenuity. Such as "starter age" contained in the Northern and Southern QiQiao when the method is "colorful thread knot pin through seven holes," back and forth with silk needle women, dressed quickly naturally a coincidence. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the more popular "throw clever pin" game. The method is in the morning on July 7 that day, take a bowl of water in sunlight exposure, an instant later, the water will produce a film. At this point the normal or the embroidery sewing needle into a bowl, if the needle floating on the water, was actually a coincidence.
July 7 water
Legend of the seventh lunar month every year is to meet the days of Vega, this day will often be the rain, and rain is these old people always say when they meet Vega tears in private, people will at this day, the home to the jar containing water on the yard, or on the open-air terrace add these rain, because the legend of the rain do Yaoyin Zi; There is a saying that with a darker tile or porcelain jar containing rainwater, and then buy a jar and the jar stuffed gourd the size of affordable side to, and then seal the jar mouth, and then the jar kept in the house a cool place, so after some days open, which has become a jar on July 7 melon juice was reputed to drink this on July 7 that can internal heat; summer, children who long miliaria, you can also use them to try on the water melon pearls last smear miliaria, very good effect.