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Qixi Festival, also known as the Double Seventh Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China.
七夕节，又称双七节，是中国传统的民间节日。
Qixi Festival falls annually on the seventh day of the seventh Chinese lunar month. In 2021, that's August 14.
每年农历七月初七就是传统的七夕节。2021年的七夕是8月14日，刚好是星期六。
There is no public holiday like the Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival.
不过和新年以及端午节不同的是，七夕节不是一个法定节假日。
On May 20, 2006, Qixi was selected on the first list of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List by the Chinese State Council.
2006年5月20日，七夕节被中国国务院列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。
Qixi Festival is the most romantic traditional festival in China. Do you know why?
七夕节被认为是中国最浪漫的传统节日。你知道这是为什么吗？
The origin is related to the folk tale of the Cowherd (Niulang) and the Weaver Girl (Zhinv).
这个节日的起源是与“牛郎织女”这个民间传说有关的。
The legend of the Niulang and Zhinù originated from the worship of natural celestial phenomena.
牛郎织女的传说来源于人们对自然天象的崇拜。
Ancient people have been exploring the mysteries of the universe since early times.
早在远古时代，人们就开始对星空的奥秘进行探索。
But at that time, Qixi was only a festival dedicated to Altair and Vega.
不过那时候的七夕，只是祭祀牵牛星和织女星。
It was not until the Han Dynasty that the Qixi festival was associated with the story of the Niulang who represents Altair and Zhinv, the Vega.
直到汉代，七夕才与牛郎织女的故事联系起来，牛郎代表牵牛星，织女代表织女星。
According to the legend, Niulang and Zhinù were a loving couple.
相传，牛郎织女是一对爱侣。
But the mother of Zhinv Heavenly Queen Mother opposed their marriage and separated them by the Milky Way.
但织女的母亲王母娘娘，反对这段婚姻，用银河分开了他们。
With the help of magpies, every year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, they could meet each other on the Magpie Bridge in the sky.
不过在喜鹊的帮助下，每年在农历七月初七，牛郎织女就能在天上的鹊桥上相见。
The beautiful love legend has made the Qixi festival symbolizing love.
这段美丽的爱情传说，使七夕成为了象征爱情的节日。
Thus, it is considered the most romantic Chinese traditional festival.
从而被认为是中国最具浪漫色彩的传统节日。
Is Qixi Festival the Chinese Valentine's Day?
七夕节是中国的情人节吗？
Qixi was a festival for girls in ancient times.
在古代，七夕节是女性的专属节日。
On that day, what did they do?
在那一天，女孩们都做什么呢？
Girls would dress up in costumes, meet their friends, pray to the weaver fairy for wisdom and dexterity, and wish for a happy marriage.
她们会盛装打扮，访闺中密友，拜祭织女乞巧祈福，并祈求一段美好的姻缘。
There were also many different forms of competition to show their skills.
此外，女孩们也会进行各种斗巧来切磋女红。
The most popular and oldest one was threading needles with seven holes.
其中，穿针乞巧是最流行的、最早的乞巧方式。
The one who finished the threading fastest would win.
最快将线全部穿过的女子即为获胜。
The most common food was Qiaoguo, which is a kind of fried thin pastry of different shapes.
七夕最常见的食品就是巧果，巧果是一种油炸的、形状各异的小点心。
Nowadays, Qixi Festival is more of a couple's festival.
现在，七夕节成为情侣过的节日。
The traditional custom of this festival didn't include a couple's date activity.
其实，这个节日的传统习俗并不包含什么情侣约会的活动。
Thus, people usually celebrate it by giving flowers, chocolates, and others to their sweethearts.
因此，现代人通常通过向另一半送花、送巧克力等来庆祝它。
Some people also prefer to give red envelopes in some special numbers via WeChat,
有些人还喜欢通过微信发红包，发一些有特殊意义的金额，
such as "520", which sounds similar to "wo ai ni" in Chinese, which means I love you, "1314", yi sheng yi shi, which means I want to be with you forever.
比如520，意思是我爱你；1314, 一生一世。
Some traditional customs have gradually disappeared, but people began to pay more attention to this festival and traditional customs.
现在，有一些传统习俗已经逐渐消失，但人们开始越来越多的关注这个节日以及背后的传统习俗。
Back to the question, is Qixi Festival the Chinese Valentine's Day?
回到之前的问题，七夕节真的是中国的情人节吗？
Yes, Qixi Festival is Chinese Valentine's Day in China now.
是的，七夕节现在就是中国的情人节。
