Customs

風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣

In bygone days， Qixi was not only a special day for lovers， but also for girls。 It is also known as the “Begging for Skills Festival” or “Daughters’ Festival。”

在過去，七夕不僅僅是戀人們的特殊日子，對(duì)女孩子們而言，也意義非凡。它也被稱為“乞巧節(jié)“或“女兒節(jié)”。

In this day， girls will throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qixi as a test of embroidery skills。 If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking， it proves the girl is a skilled embroiders。

在這一天，女孩子們會(huì)在七夕晚上向一個(gè)載滿水的碗里投一枚針，作為刺繡能力的測(cè)試。如果針浮在水面而不是下沉，這就證明該女孩是一個(gè)熟練的刺繡者。

Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future。 And the newly married women pray to become pregnant quickly。

單身女性也會(huì)祈求在未來找到一位如意郎君。新婚女性會(huì)祈求早生貴子。

Tradition transformed

傳統(tǒng)的改變

The love story of Niulang and Zhinu， and the Qixi Festival have been handed down for generations。 Yet these ancient traditions and customs are slowly dying out。

牛郎和織女的故事以及七夕節(jié)延續(xù)了數(shù)代人之久。但是，古老的傳統(tǒng)和習(xí)俗也在慢慢地消失。

Many modern Chinese， particularly youngsters， seem to know more about St Valentine’s Day on February 14。

許多當(dāng)代中國(guó)人，尤其是年輕人，似乎對(duì)2月14日的情人節(jié)了解更多。

Even Qixi is nowadays referred to as the “Chinese Valentine’s Day。” More and more young Chinese people begin to celebrate this day in a very similar way as that in western countries。

在今天，七夕甚至被稱為“中國(guó)情人節(jié)”。越來越多的年輕人開始以一種十分類似于西方國(guó)家的方式來慶祝這一天。

Few young women will mark the festival with their boyfriends， or take part in traditional activities to pray for cleverness。

很少有年輕女性會(huì)和她們的男朋友紀(jì)念該節(jié)日，或者是參加傳統(tǒng)活動(dòng)來祈求巧慧。

七夕祝福語

Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don‘t love you with all they have.

愛你的人如果沒有按你所希望的方式來愛你，那并不代表他們沒有全心全意地愛你。

Don‘t try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.

不要著急，最好的總會(huì)在最不經(jīng)意的時(shí)候出現(xiàn)。

.Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the center one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

在遇到夢(mèng)中人之前，上天也許會(huì)安排我們先遇到別的人；在我們終于遇見心儀的人時(shí)，便應(yīng)當(dāng)心存感激。

To my one and only Valentine: I love you。

獻(xiàn)給我惟一的愛人：我愛你。

You have always been there for me, and I will always be there for you. Happy Valentine’s Day。

你永遠(yuǎn)在那里等待著我，而我也將永遠(yuǎn)在那里守候著你。情人節(jié)愉快。

I didn’t think that I could ever trust happiness. Then I met you. Happy Valentine’s Day, Dear。

我一直不相信有真正的“幸福”，直到不久以后，我邂逅了你。親愛的，情人節(jié)快樂。