Chinese Valentine's Day

Today is 七夕情人节 
In all my 19 years of living, I have no idea why this is the first time I'm hearing about 七夕情人节. 
I have totally no idea what it's about, no idea at all. So I forced Xiang Ni to tell me the story...in English. Why? Because she keeps on nagging me lately to converse with her in only English so that her English will improve. She asked for it.

And so the story begins in Skype. (I translated the Hokkien words into English.)

[12:19:20 PM] April Melody Tan: Faster la. What is  七夕情人节?
[12:20:30 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: Cowherd and Weaver Girl
[12:20:32 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: hahahah
[12:20:36 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: u know who bo?

[12:20:36 PM] April Melody Tan: wth? no -.-

[12:20:45 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: Weaver Girl

[12:21:08 PM] April Melody Tan: u explained nothing

[12:21:21 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: is the grandaughter of the king

[12:21:27 PM] April Melody Tan: king of where?

[12:21:38 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: 玉皇大帝

[12:21:44 PM] April Melody Tan: IN ENGLISH

[12:22:01 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: ahh
[12:22:04 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: god of heaven
[12:22:05 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: hahahhaha

[12:22:11 PM] April Melody Tan: oh okay
[12:22:12 PM] April Melody Tan: hahha
[12:22:15 PM] April Melody Tan: continue

[12:22:18 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then
[12:22:29 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: god of heaven got a lot of cows
[12:22:47 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then cowherd take care of them

[12:22:57 PM] April Melody Tan: why he want cows?
[12:23:06 PM] April Melody Tan: why god of heaven take care of cows one??

[12:23:08 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: idk wor. they didnt say
[12:23:11 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: no la

[12:23:13 PM] April Melody Tan: he god of heaven got nothing else more important to do meh?
[12:23:17 PM] April Melody Tan: he like cows?
[12:23:23 PM] April Melody Tan: he want drink milk?
[12:23:29 PM] April Melody Tan: he want eat triple cheeseburger?

[12:23:30 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: he hire cowherd to take care of them

[12:23:39 PM] April Melody Tan: but why cows?
[12:23:45 PM] April Melody Tan: ok continue
[12:23:56 PM] April Melody Tan: if he eat the cows
[12:24:02 PM] April Melody Tan: guan yin sure angry him one (Btw, I still don't know why Buddhists aren't allowed to eat beef. Can anyone explain this to me?)

[12:24:39 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then weaver girl in charge of weaving

[12:24:45 PM] April Melody Tan: weaving what
[12:24:45 PM] April Melody Tan: ?

[12:24:48 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: erm
[12:24:50 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: silk?

[12:24:54 PM] April Melody Tan: for the cows!?

[12:24:57 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: no!!
[12:25:02 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: idk for who
[12:25:05 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: they didnt say
[12:25:10 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: LISTEN FIRST LA !!

[12:25:12 PM] April Melody Tan: ok.

[12:25:17 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: shh!
[12:25:21 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: there is 2 version
[12:25:23 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: first is
[12:26:15 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: the niu lang was just a normal human being who lived in a farm and take care of cattles. then another one is niu lang was 'hired' by the god of heaven take care of the cattles in heaven'
[12:26:16 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: hahaha
[12:26:29 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: niu lang is that cowherd
[12:26:32 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: 牛郎
[12:26:36 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then then
[12:26:58 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: weaver girl is grandaughter of god lorh

[12:26:58 PM] April Melody Tan: hor u copy paste

[12:27:01 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: NO LA
[12:27:03 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: i type eh kay!

[12:27:04 PM] April Melody Tan: takan suddenly cows become cattles

[12:27:09 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: HAHAHAHHA
[12:27:14 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: i saw from wiki ma
[12:27:18 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: they write cattle ma

[12:27:21 PM] April Melody Tan: hanlah hanlah hanlah
[12:27:24 PM] April Melody Tan: continue la

[12:27:26 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then
[12:27:33 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: weaver girl is zhi nv lorh
[12:27:36 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: 织女
[12:27:39 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then
[12:27:44 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: first version
[12:28:05 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: she secretly came to earth then in love with niu lang
[12:28:07 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: 2nd
[12:28:14 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: she in love with niu lang in heaven

[12:28:15 PM] April Melody Tan: hiao jeng (Promiscuous. LOL)

[12:28:21 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: OI

[12:28:23 PM] April Melody Tan: wht?

[12:28:26 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: mai aneh insult my gods
[12:28:26 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: hahahhaa

[12:28:31 PM] April Melody Tan: they're gods?!

[12:28:34 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: DUH

[12:28:36 PM] April Melody Tan: oops..haha. nolah i insult the first version one..the normal human nia one.

[12:28:44 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then
[12:29:21 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then the god of heaven knew abt it bcz that niu lang and zhi nv didnt do their work properly coz they everyday sweet sweet nia
[12:29:41 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then He angry lorh

[12:29:50 PM] April Melody Tan: then?

[12:30:14 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: then

[12:30:19 PM] April Melody Tan: the whole kingdom suddenly no more cattle and silk hor?

[12:30:24 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: got one god name

[12:30:33 PM] April Melody Tan: uh huh
[12:30:35 PM] April Melody Tan: ??
[12:30:42 PM] April Melody Tan: ????
[12:30:45 PM] April Melody Tan: ??????

[12:30:46 PM] Toh Xiang Ni:  magpies
[12:30:56 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: 喜鹊

[12:30:57 PM] April Melody Tan: Hahhaha!! Magpie!! your god is a bird?!

[12:31:02 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: dunoe la
[12:31:07 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: he pass wrong the msg

[12:31:10 PM] April Melody Tan: oh
[12:31:11 PM] April Melody Tan: okay
[12:31:15 PM] April Melody Tan: what msg?!
[12:31:21 PM] April Melody Tan: WHAT MSG?!

[12:31:22 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: god ask him go tell them that they can meet only once per week
[12:31:31 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: manatau he go and tell them they can meet everyday

[12:31:47 PM] April Melody Tan: stupid magpie
[12:31:53 PM] April Melody Tan: are you sure that is a god or just a normal bird?

[12:31:52 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: god of heaven ma super angry lorh

[12:32:00 PM] April Melody Tan: god of heaven always angy eh
[12:32:03 PM] April Melody Tan: *angry

[12:32:17 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: so he separated them
[12:32:22 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: into 2 different places

[12:32:23 PM] April Melody Tan: not their fault also!

[12:32:28 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: can meet only once a year

[12:32:40 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: bcz of 喜鹊 pass wrong the msg ma
[12:33:05 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: they can meet at every 7th of july

[12:33:08 PM] April Melody Tan: owhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[12:33:12 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: so
[12:33:24 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: 喜鹊 have to build a bridge for them to meet

[12:33:28 PM] April Melody Tan: eng gai

[12:33:34 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: in order to punish him coz he pas wrong sg
[12:33:36 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: msg*

THE END.

And so that was how I knew about the story. In the end she copied and pasted the story she saw from wikipedia. So for those of you who had no idea what she was saying, read the wikipedia version. Haha.

[12:33:49 PM] Toh Xiang Ni: In late summer, two bright stars can be seen on opposite sides of the Milky Way. These stars are Altair ("the cowherd", Niulang) and Vega ("the weaver girl", Zhinü). The following story is told about the two:
Long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted fellow named Niulang (Cowherd). His parents died when he was a child. Later, he was driven out of his home by his sister-in-law. So he lived by himself herding cattle and farming. One day, a fairy from heaven named Zhinü (Weaver Girl) fell in love with him. She secretly came down to earth and married him. Niulang farmed in the field and Zhinü wove at home. They lived a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, the God of Heaven soon found this out and ordered the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring Zhinü back.
With the help of celestial cattle, Niulang flew to heaven with his son and daughter. When he was about to catch up with his wife, the Queen Mother took off one of her gold hairpins and scratched a river in the sky to separate the lovers. Niulang and Zhinü have been separated on the two banks ever since. Once a year all of the magpies in the world come to build a bridge for Niulang and Zhinü to meet each other. This meeting happens on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. Because of this, their meeting is called "Qi Xi" (Double Seventh).

Somehow the words 'Celestial cattle' and 'All the magpies in the world' humor me a lot. Hahaha.