用英语讲好中国文化：七夕节的起源与习俗 The Origin and Customs of the Qixi Festival
The Qixi Festival, also known as the Begging for Skills Festival, the Seventh Sister Festival, Qi Jie Dan, and Qi Niang Sheng, originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty and may even date back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
（七夕，又名乞巧节、七巧节、七姐诞、七娘生，其起源最早可追溯至西周，甚至可能在东周的春秋战国时期便已出现。）
At that time, the Qixi Festival was mainly a sacrifice to the Altair and the Vega. Every July dusk, the Vega would rise to the highest point of the year and be clearly visible. The Vega and the two dimmer stars on either side form a shape that opens towards the east, and the Altair can be seen on the east side.
（在那个时候，七夕主要是对牵牛星和织女星的祭祀活动。每逢七月黄昏，织女星会升至一年中的最高点，清晰可见。织女星与其两旁两颗较暗的星共同构成一个朝东方开口的形状，而在其东面就能看到牛郎星。）
After the Han Dynasty, the Qixi Festival gradually became closely linked with the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl and officially became a festival for eligible men and women.
（自汉朝以后，七夕逐渐与牛郎织女的故事紧密相连，并正式成为了适龄男女的节日。）
The Qixi Festival originated from the worship of stars and was originally the Seventh Sister Festival in the traditional sense of China. Because the activity of worshiping the "Seventh Sister" was held on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, it was called "Qixi". With the evolution of history, the Qixi Festival has been endowed with the beautiful love legend of the "Cowherd and the Weaver Girl", thus becoming a festival symbolizing love and therefore regarded as the most romantic traditional festival in China.
（七夕节源自星宿崇拜，原本是中国传统意义上的七姐诞，由于拜祭“七姐”的活动在七月初七晚上举行，所以被称为“七夕”。随着历史的演进，七夕被赋予了“牛郎织女”这一美丽的爱情传说，进而成为了象征爱情的节日，也因此被视作中国最具浪漫色彩的传统节日。）
The origin of the name Vega can be inferred from "July Flows the Fire, September Presents Clothes" in the Book of Songs. Because September is the cooler late autumn and the time to wear cold clothes. Clothes are presented in September, so they must be tailored in August, and July is naturally the time for weaving women to weave.
（织女星这一名称的由来，可以从《诗经》中的“七月流火，九月授衣”来推断。因为九月是气候较为凉爽的晚秋，到了穿寒衣的时节。九月授衣，就必须在八月裁制，那么七月自然就是织妇们织布的时间。）
The Altair is called Qianniu, which has the meaning of "sacrifice". It is recorded in "Historical Records" that "Qianniu is a sacrifice", which refers to the cattle and sheep slaughtered in the sacrifice. In ancient times, June was the transition between summer and autumn, when the grass was lush and it was the season to provide lush grass for livestock; in August, according to the physique of the livestock, it was observed which ones were suitable for sacrifice; in September, livestock were slaughtered for worshiping the gods.
（牛郎星被称为牵牛，有着“牺牲”的含义。在《史记》中记载：“牵牛为牺牲”，这里指的是在祭典上宰杀的牛、羊等牲畜。在古代，六月正值夏秋交接，草木繁茂，是为牲畜提供丰茂牧草的时节；到了八月，会根据牲畜的体格，观察哪些适合用于祭祀；九月则宰杀牲畜用以祭拜神明。）
In ancient times, there were customs of sunning books and clothes on the Qixi Festival. It is said that this could prevent moths. People believed that on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Heavenly Gate opened and the sun was strong. It was the "Day of Sunning Scales" for the Dragon King. On this day, people would sun their clothes, quilts and the like to prevent moths. Scholars often sunned their books on this day.
（在古时，七夕有晒书、晒衣的习俗，据说这样能够避免虫蛀。人们认为七月七日这一天，天门洞开，阳光强烈，是龙王爷的“晒鳞日”。在这一天，人们会暴晒衣服、棉被之类的物品以防虫蛀，读书人也常常会在这天曝晒书籍。）