Ngưu Lang Chức Nữ, 牛郎織女, The Double Seventh Festival
Today’s the 7 day of the 7th Lunar Month, aka Ngưu Lang Chức Nữ, otherwise known as Thất Tịch (七夕), The Double 7th Festival! Today is a day for romantic love, the hope for it or the continuation of it.
七夕 – This Vietnamese lover’s festival, often called the “Chinese Valentine’s Day” is derived from the ancient Chinese Qixi Festival, originating from the love story of Ngưu Lang (牛郎, Cow/Buffaloherd Boy), also known as Ông Ngâu (翁牛, Mr. Buffalo/Cow) and Chức Nữ (織女, The Weaver Woman) or Bà Ngâu (婆牛, Mrs. Buffalo/Cow), often called “Ngày Ông Ngâu Bà Ngâu”
七夕 – According to the Vietnamese version of the story, there was a young herder by the name of Ngưu Lang, who was enamored with an immortal (or fairy) named Chức Nữ, who weaved. Because he was so infatuated by the immortal weaver, he neglected his herd of water buffalo, said buffalo then wandered over to Ngọc Hư Palace without Ngưu Lang noticing. The immortal Chức Nữ likewise became infatuated with Ngưu Lang, specifically his voice, she was so in love that she neglected her weaving. Their neglect angered Ngọc Hoàng (The Jade Emperor, 玉皇) so much, that he separated the immortal weaver and the young herder, forcing them to stay on either side of the Milky Way, only allowing them to see each other once every year, on the 7th day of the 7th month. As they said their goodbyes, the herder and the immortal both wept, their tears falling to the Earth and becoming rain, this rain became known as Mưa Ngâu (Rain of the Buffalo, the rains that happen specifically during the 7th Lunar month) to the people below. But in this story, the Milky Way (In Vietnamese, Ngân Hà, The River of Silver) in Heaven didn’t have a bridge yet, so Ngọc Hoàng ordered some mortal carpenters build a bridge in Heaven, so the two lovers could meet. The carpenters were petty, and wouldn’t listen to one another and fought constantly, the lovers’ bridge wasn’t finished by its deadline. Ngọc Hoàng, enraged that the mortals didn’t finish the bridge, turned them into a flock of crows, so they could fly into Heaven and let the lovers use their heads as a bridge to meet. Every 7th lunar month, the crows flock together to fly into Heaven. When they met again, they remembered their quarrels in their old lives as carpenters, and fought all over again, pecking eachother and pulling feathers out. The lovers saw this quivering, screaming, black mass of feathers and were disgusted, they thus ordered the crows to pluck their heads clean of feathers to make their crossing a less unsightly view. From then on, all crows’ heads became featherless every 7th Lunar Month. Ngọc Hoàng, in an act of sympathy, changed the crows back into mortal carpenters, and made them build a sturdy bridge as penance. And every year, on the 7th day of the 7th Lunar Month, the lovers Ngưu Lang and Chức Nữ cross the Silver River to spend just one day together.
七夕 – You can see these lovers meeting every Ngưu Lang Chức Nữ in the night sky, as the star Altair (Sao Ngưu Lang, The Cowherder’s Star) and the star Vega (Sao Chức Nữ, Star of the Weaving Immortal) meet, for just one night a year.
七夕 – On this day, couples pray for fidelity and a long, smooth relationship at temples and shrines to gods of love, like Ông Tơ Bà Nguyệt (The Lunar Matchmakers) Couples also often eaten chè đậu đỏ (A sweet, red bean dessert), to ensure their relationship is harmonious. Single people also eat chè đậu đỏ, in hopes that doing so will help them find love; many singles also pray to find love at temples. Couples also avoid getting married during the 7th Lunar month, so as to avoid the same fate as Ngưu Lang and Chức Nữ. This festival’s celebration is beginning to fade, though, and it isn’t as popular as it was in the past.
七夕 – May all those who seek love find it, and may those in love stay in love, have a happy Ngưu Lang Chức Nữ!