乞巧节

七月七日为牵牛织女聚会之夜。是夕，人家妇女结彩缕，穿七孔针，或以金银瑜石为针，陈瓜果于庭以乞巧，有喜子网于瓜上，则以为应符。

南朝梁 / 宗懔 《荆楚岁时记》

The Double Seventh Festival (1)

The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar year is the day when the legendary Cowherd and the Girl Weaver (2) meet in the Milky Way. On that night, women crochet with colourful silk threads. They pull threads through seven-holed comb-like needles, or needles made of gold, silver or copper. They place fruits and melons in their yards, offering for which they hope the Girl Weaver will reward them with skill in needlework. They are happy if they find webs woven by spiders on the fruit because they think this is a good omen and that the Girl Weaver has agreed to fulfill their wishes.

Zong Lin (Southern Dynasties, the State of Liang): Stories of the Jing and Chu Times

(1)The Double Seventh Festival: also named"maiden's day", "daughter's day", was a festival for women in ancient China. The ceremonies on that day were held for the purpose of seeking dexterity for girls and married women.

(2)the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver: In Chinese legend, the Girl Weaver was the Jade Emperor's grand-daughter. She was clever and deft, and good at tailoring. After marrying the Cowherd on the west bank of the Heavenly River (the Milky Way), she stopped sewing. This enraged the Jade Emperor greatly. He ordered them to separate. The Girl Weaver was sent back to the east bank of the river. They were allowed to meet only once a year on July 7 of the lunar calendar. The Girl Weaver is equivalent to the Vega and the Cowherd is equivalent to the Altair.

（姚红 译）