Introduction to the folk stories and legends of the Qixi Festival
The Legend of the Qixi Festival — Niulang and Zhinü.There was an orphan in the folk tradition — Niulang. After suffering from his brother and sister-in-law's abuse, he met Zhinü, who had secretly come down from heaven, by chance. They fell in love with each other and soon became a happy and harmonious couple. However, when the Queen Mother found out about this, she became very angry and personally came down to take Zhinü back to heaven, separating this loving couple.
With the help of an old cow that had attained enlightenment, Niulang put on a pair of shoes made of cowhide and flew up to chase after Zhinü. Seeing this, the Queen Mother immediately took out her golden hairpin and waved it, creating a vast and surging river — the Milky Way — separating Niulang and Zhinü on both sides. They could only weep facing each other. Although there was an insurmountable obstacle, their loyal love moved the magpies, so thousands upon thousands of magpies flew over to build a bridge of magpies, allowing them to walk across the bridge to meet each other. The Qixi Festival is the day they meet once a year.
