Thursday 7 August 2008

Seventh Sister's Birthday (七姐誕 qī jiě dàn)



Last night was the 6th day of the 7th lunar month and celebrations for the Seventh Sister's Birthday or Qi Xi were held. Nowadays this particular festival is not a really popular one and not many people celebrate it.
However those who still do would buy a 7th sister tray (made of paper) to be used as offering to Zhi Nu on the one night in the year that she was granted permission to meet Niu Lang (her husband). The top picture depicts the two lovers and the famous poem oft recited during this festival. The second one was taken from the Hong Kong Tourism site and shows the tray I mentioned above and a dramatical depiction of the seventh sister with her six other sisters coming down to earth to play.
Below is a poem about Qi Xi:
秋夕 –(唐)杜牧
红烛秋光冷画屏,
轻罗小扇扑流萤。
天阶夜色凉如水,
坐看牵牛织女星。
English translation:
The painted screen is chilled in silver candlelight,She uses silken fan to catch passing fireflies.The steps seem steeped in water when cold grows the night,She lies watching heart-broken stars shed tears in the skies.

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