Qixi, also saw the Yin han roundabout darkness ‖ Liu Zhihong

Tanabata, see also the darkness of the Silver Han

Liu Zhihong

Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, that is, Tanabata, also known as the Beggar's Festival, this legend has always been associated with the legend of the cowherd weaver girl. This is a very beautiful love story that has been passed down through the ages and has become one of the four major folk love legends in our country. It is said that on this day, if someone sits under the grapevine, they can hear the whispering of the cowherd weaver girl. With the flow of Western "Valentine's Day" into China, the "Qixi Festival" has gradually been called China's "Valentine's Day".

I remember when I was a child, every Tanabata night, I would move a small bench to the front of the courtyard, in the swaying of the big fan in the hands of the adults, looking up, pointing with my little finger, looking for the two men and women on both sides of the Galaxy who wrote down the legend of immortal love. Then, on the night of Tanabata, he folded his two small hands and prayed for them reverently, learning the tone of an adult and blessing a lover to eventually become a family, although he did not understand the meaning of this sentence. Later, they would sit quietly under the grapevines and listen carefully to the whispers of the cowherd and the weaver girl. Unfortunately, for many Tanabata nights, I have not heard those fiery love words, romantic lover stories. All that was left behind me was the laughter of the old people, who said it was because I didn't calm down and listen carefully.

Say goodbye to the innocence of childhood, but many of my thoughts are fixed on those innocent days. The romance of the Qixi Queqiao meeting, the regret that the cowherd weaver girl is difficult to become a dependent, the abomination of the Queen Mother's mother, the kindness of thousands of magpies... Those distant innocences, those beautiful temptations, have a great attraction to me who has always had a childlike heart. Regrettably, no matter how reluctant we are, our thoughts eventually grow up, and the troubles of life ensue. I thought I knew everything, but I was always confused by the greatness and magic of love, only the beautiful stories of Tanabata, the legend of immortality, and the rock-solid love, which performed romantic praise in my heart.

Now see Tanabata again, autumn night in the cool and quiet air there is a soothing and sad tone in the slow lyricism, the Golden City Yellow River along the ancient and modern people's dreams silently record the past history. The grapevines in the farm are faintly visible, but the chirping of jumping insects is like a natural sound. Life is like a dream, what night is it? "The clouds are clever, the flying stars are hateful, and the silver man is dark." As soon as the golden wind and jade dew met, they won countless victories in the world. Tenderness is like water, good times are like dreams, bear with Queqiao to return to the road. If the two loves are long, they are in the twilight of the dynasty. Words are quenched, like sighs. This love is darkly crossed the cold of the heavens, and this feeling is like water that has no hatred. Is the love of heaven victorious over the innumerable on earth? How many envious eyes, how many beautiful hopes, how many foolish waiting in the world, how many nights and nights of helplessness, all in the sigh of "if the two loves are long, will they be in the twilight of the dynasty" in the sigh of the stars and the moon, tears spilled in their hearts. I may not have asked whether the legend of the poignant story of the cowherd and the weaver girl is true, but deep in the traditional concept of China itself, which has a long history, it likes to erect a typical model. Therefore, a story always has to leave regrets to have a touching and heartfelt beauty, and a love must always be a little broken to make people sigh endlessly. Therefore, whether this story is a feudal Confucian way to control men and women in ancient times, the sanctity of love should make the lovers of the world become the only ones in each other, and the legend and true love of the cowherd weaver girl are brilliant and become a classic in the depths of time.

Wang Chuguang, former deputy director of the Counsellor's Office of the State Council, said that due to the rich and thick content of the Qixi culture, the revival of the Qixi culture can better carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture, enrich and enrich the connotation of China's intangible cultural heritage, and cultivate the spiritual sentiments of the whole nation. In Chinese history, the Qixi Festival is a traditional festival with a long history, rich cultural accumulation, wide circulation, rich content and form. According to relevant records, in various parts of China, this beautiful legend has been passed down for thousands of years along with people's good wishes, and thousands of customs closely related to Tanabata have been passed down everywhere. Needle begging, spider-like coincidence, needle testing, planting and asking for children, offering "grinding and drinking music", worshiping the weaver girl, worshiping kuixing, drying books and clothes, celebrating the birthday of the cow, eating qiao fruit... In Tanghui Township, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, there is the Qixi Xiangqiao Association. Every year on Tanabata, people come to participate and build an incense bridge. At night, people sacrifice double stars, beg for blessings, and then incinerate the xiangqiao, symbolizing that the double stars have crossed the xiangqiao and met happily; in Shanxi and Shaanxi, there is a custom of holding various begging activities on the night of the Qixi Festival, and women often have to tie straw people dressed in flowers, called Qiaogu; in Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, "on the seventh day of July, women pick cypress leaves, peach branches, and fry soup and mu hair"; in Guangdong, activities such as "worshiping the seven sisters" and the seven ladies' meeting are prevalent; in Taiwan, there are ceremonies to worship the "mother of the bed"; in Jiaodong, there are activities to worship the seven sisters In many counties and cities in Sichuan Province, as well as in Guizhou and Guangdong, there is a custom of dyeing red nails; and most parts of China have the habit of listening to whispers under grape racks and pumpkin sheds... On the day of the Tanabata Festival, people always sing and dance at the same time: Qiao Niangniang, Beggar Qiao Lai, flowers bloom under the plane tree. The flowers bloom, the trees swing, and I welcome Qiao Niang down...

"Silver candle autumn light cold painting screen, light Luo small fan fluttering fireflies, the sky is cool as water at night, sit and watch the morning glory Weaver Actress." On Tanabata, the night sky in the Great Northwest is thick and crisp, and the two classic stars of the ages in the brilliant starlight shine with pure brilliance. Stepping on the waves of the Yellow River, I seemed to hear the milky way of water gently surging in my ears, but my heart became clearer and more transparent. Yes, the good night, the splendid cowherd Vega star will be a thousand years of charm and romance, interpreted into a deep light, in your burning me I burn your thoughts, I only have a bunch of wishes, I hope that all lovers in the world can find their own beautiful home.

About the Author

Liu Zhihong, male, is a member of the China Land and Resources Writers Association, a member of the Gansu Provincial Writers Association, and a political engineer. His works have been published in newspapers and magazines such as China Land and Resources Daily, Gansu Daily, Prose Poetry, and Qinghai Lake.