Magpie Festival

Magpie Festival is Chinese traditional festival, it is at July 7 in Chinese Lunar calendar and is called Chinese Valentine's Day. This was a famous myth legend lovely story between an orphan Cowboy(Niulang) and a fairy Weaver Girl (Zhiniu) in ancient China. 
Long long ago, there was an orphan named Niulang living with older brother and became a cowboy.  Sister-in-law didn't like him to live together and wanted him left her home. One day she had a difficult question to Niulang, she asked him to take care 9 cows outside and to come back with 10 cows, otherwise never came back. When Niulang was so sad, someone told him how to solve the question. Then he found a sick old yellow cow in a mountain far away and took it back home. He took care the cow carefully and it got well soon. This cow was not a general cow, it was the Golden Cow coming from the heaven. As a reward, the Golden Cow told Niulang how to meet a beautiful fairy coming from heaven. Then one day Niulang found a place where seven fairies were showering, he loved the youngest fairy named Zhiniu very much and took away her clothes. After the shower, Zhiniu found her clothes everywhere, but she couldn't get it. She couldn't go back heaven and had to stay earth. Niulang and Zhiniu fell in love and they had a twins soon, one boy and one girl. They loved each other and had a good time. 
The heaven's Queen who was Zhiniu's mother was very angry when she knew that her loveliest and youngest daughter marred with a cowboy and had twins without her permission. Zhiniu was taken back to heaven by her queen mother. Niulang missed her wife so much and brought two kids to fly to the heaven with Golden Cow's help. When the queen knew Niulang and his kids had got to heaven, the queen made the Milky Way to keep them separate.
The magpies were touched by their lovely story and sympathized them. The magpies made a decide to fly together and form a bridge over the Milky Way on July 7 in Chinese lunar calendar very year. So Niulang family reunited on the magpies' bridge once a year. Now the day becomes a Chinese traditional festival.
This is song about this lovely story. The lyrics and music are very wonderful. I like it very much and hope you enjoy it. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cafu-q498Cg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9XZ8SHz6dY


　    鹊桥仙                                           

　　纤云弄巧，
　　飞星传恨，
　　银汉迢迢暗渡。
　　金风玉露一相逢，
　　便胜却人间无数。
　　柔情似水，
　　佳期如梦，
　　忍顾鹊桥归路。
　　两情若是久长时，
　　又岂在朝朝暮暮。

　　Immortals at the Magpie Bridge             (许渊冲 译 translate by Xu)

　　Clouds float like works of art,

　　Stars shoot with grief at heart.

　　Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid.

　　When Autumn’s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade,

　　All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.

　　Their tender love flows like a stream;

　　Their happy date seems but a dream.

　　How can they bear a separate homeward way?

　　If love between both sides can last for aye,

　　Why need they stay together night and day?

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　　Immortals on the Magpie Bridge          　(卓振英 译 translate by Zho)
　　Her love into th’ clouds the Maid subtly weaves,
　　And th’ shooting stars display how th’ Cowherd grieves.
　　When dew falls the Milky Way sees their meeting rare.
　　However, no secular love can e’er compare
　　With the holy sentiments they for a time share.
　　Their tender feeling is like a long stream;
　　Their rendezvous’s like a transient dream.
　　They may not bear to part at th’ Magpie Bridge! But nay,
　　So long as undying their affections will stay,
　　Whereat should they be bound up every night and day?
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* This tune name derives from the myth of the sincere love between the Cowboy(Niulang) and the Weaver (Zhinu), who are separated by the Heavenly Queen with the Milky Way and allowed to meet only once in a year at the bridge built by the magpies which sympathize with them.