Chinese Valentine's Day

Looks like we've got a second chance to celebrate Valentine's Day! The 7th day of the 7th Lunar month, which just happens to fall on August 19th this year, is also known as the Daughter's Month, the Festival of Seven Daughters, the Seventh Sister's Birthday, the Festival of Double Sevens, or the Night of Sevens. Whatever you call it, there's a great romantic story behind the day. I'm so into fairy tales and old folk lore, this one is especially good. According to Holiday Insights, here's the scoop...

The Goddess of Heaven (also known as the Queen of Heaven) had seven beautiful, young daughters. The seven daughters came down to earth. They decided to bathe in a pristine river, leaving their clothes on the shore. Along came a cow herder (the herd were actually ox) named "Niu Lang". He took their clothes to see what they would do. The daughters decided that the youngest, and most beautiful, named Zhi Nü should go out of the water and recover their clothes. Because Niu Lang saw her naked, they had to get married. They fell madly in love, and shared several years of marital bliss.
Finally, her mother became irritated by her absence from Heaven, and ordered her to return. Seeing how much Zhi Nü missed her husband, the Jade Emperor of Heaven brought the couple back together. Ultimately, Zhi Nü was allowed to visit her husband, Niu Lang just once a year. The annual reunion occurs on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar.

Yes, I realize that we don't need a holiday to celebrate love or romance or whatever, but unfortunatly I've found that living in our everyday, mundane, work-driven lives can take some of the "umph" out of our relationships. So, if you're like me and sometimes need a little push, don't miss out on today's holiday and celebrate a great love story - and create one of your own!

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Chinese Valentine's Day

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