今天是又是传统的一年一度的牛郎织女相会节，也是各种圈内撒狗粮节，反正小K这一天的狗粮是真真吃了不少了。不过呢，这节日毕竟是中国传统节日。 虽然于西方国际情人节是一个道理。但是，如果有老外好友问起你，你又该如何表达解释才好呢。
嗯~~所以这不是还有小k我么。
七夕节是中国传统节日之一
每年农历(the lunar calendar)七月初七这一天是我国汉族的传统节日七夕节。七夕节有“乞巧”的风俗，且由来已久，古时年轻女孩子们在这一天乞求巧夺天工的好手艺，同时会乞求一段美好姻缘。
而七夕节在英语中的表达有很多种，因为七夕节又被叫做“乞巧节”，因此可以称作“The Begging Festival”，此外还有Double-Seventh Day, Tanabata festival, Chinese Valentine's Day,而最常用的是“Magpie Festival”。“magpie”指的是“喜鹊”。传说牛郎和织女每年于鹊桥(The Magpie-Bridge)相会，由此就有了“Magpie Festival”的说法。而牛郎织女的故事也成为如今七夕节流传最广泛的起源传说。
七夕“乞巧”的风俗：
On that night, unmarried girls prayed to the Weaving Maid star for the special gift. When the star Vega was high up in the sky, girls performed a small test by placing a needle on the water's surface: If the needle did not sink, the girl was considered to be ready to find a husband. Once a year, on this day, girls could wish for anything their hearts desired.
七夕之夜，未婚女子通常会向织女星乞巧，也会乞求姻缘。她们将一根针放在水面上，倘若针不下沉的话，她们就能得偿所愿。据说这一晚女孩子们能祈求任何心愿成真。
七夕关键词：
1、The Begging Festival：乞巧节。“乞巧”的这个“乞”，我们可以说beg，也可以用plead这个词，plead to be endowed with perfect sewing skills. 貌似这两个词都和浪漫气氛不符哦，plead其实更常见于法庭上，律师为某人辩护，就是plead one's case;而那句我们耳熟能详的“不认罪”，则是plead not guilty，反之“认罪”就是plead guilty——注意这里的用法，比较特殊哦，是在动词plead后面直接加形容词guilty——法官就会经常问这句话：Do you plead guilty or not guilty?你可认罪?(好有包大人的风范啊~)也有一个更常见的情况，就是被告人plead insanity，以精神失常为借口，试图减轻刑罚。
2、doing needlework：针线活。七夕有乞巧的风俗，乞巧是女孩子为了精进自己的女红手艺，女红(注意啊注意啊，这里的“红”读音是“工”，不要读错了哦)也就是针线活，用英语说就是doing needlework。印象中女红活儿就是刺绣(embroider)吧，不知道现在还有多少女孩子会刺绣活儿呢?似乎大家都更prefer简单易学的十字绣 (cross-stitch)了。那么，学十字绣的话，也是需要乞一下巧的吧……
3、lunar calendar：阴历，现在通行的阳历是solar calendar。lunar表示“月亮的”，英文名Luna其实是月亮女神的名字，有取这个名字的女生是不是觉得很开心呢?
4、cowherd：放牛人，也即牛郎;同样的一个词是shepherd，羊倌，两个词都有一个-herd后缀，herd有“放牧人”的意思，不过通常都是作为后缀来构成“XX牧人”的词。
5、magpie：喜鹊，帮助牛郎织女见面的大功臣哦。虽然在七夕的传说中，喜鹊给情人们带来幸福，但是magpie这个词却有一个贬义的用法，就是用来形容话多的人：She chatters like a magpie. 她说起话来就没个完。
6、祈求姻缘，这个恐怕还是要看缘分哦，如果两个人是predestined to be together，那么是无论如何都会相遇并相爱的吧。在这里祝天下有情人终成眷属吧!(All shall be well, and Jack shall have Jill!)
七夕节牛郎织女的传说（ 就是向外国好友讲故事时间）
七夕情人节指的是农历七月的第七个夜晚，这个节日是汉代传统的民间节日。七夕的晚上不仅仅是传说中的"牛郎"和"织女"一年一度相会的夜晚，同时也是为姑娘们祈求心灵手巧的好机会。因此，七夕节又叫"乞巧节"，"女儿节"。尽管七夕节不如其它节日那般流行，但是在中国，男女老少都对节日背后的故事相当熟悉。
The Double Seventh Festival refers to the seventh night of the seventh lunar month. It is a traditional folk festival of the Han people. This night is not only the time when the legendary Cowherd and the Girl Weaver are supposed to have their annual meeting, but also a good opportunity for women to pray for the Girl Weaver for the purpose of seeking dexterity. Therefore, this festival is also named " Maiden's Day", " Daughter's Day". The day is not as well-known as many other Chinese festivals. But almost everyone in China, young or old, is very familiar with the story behind it.
很久以前，有一个放牛娃名叫牛郎，父母早亡，只好跟着哥哥嫂嫂度日。然而，哥哥嫂子为人狠毒，经常虐待他。他们逼牛郎干苦活，不让他吃饱睡好，最后又把他赶出了家门，牛郎除了身上的衣服和一头老水牛外，一无所有。
Once upon a time, there lived a poor cowherd, Niulang, whose parents had died long before. He had to live together with his elder brother. Unfortunately, his brother and his sister-in -law were very mean and often treated Niulang very badly. They would not give him enough food to eat, and made him work so hard that he hardly had time to sleep. Finally, they kicked him of their home. All he had in the world were the clothes on his back and an old ox.
牛郎在山边搭了间茅草屋，辛勤开垦，在岩石地上挖出了一片菜园，他常常饥肠辘辘，劳累不堪，但把老水牛照顾得好好的。一日，牛突然说话了，它告诉牛郎说自己前身是天上的金牛星，由于违反了天条把粮食种子撒到了人间，天帝将它贬到人间以示惩罚。老牛说，过几天，天上的仙女会下凡到离茅草屋不远的圣池里游泳，其中有一个勤劳善良、美丽贤惠的姑娘，名叫织女。织女是天宫中王母娘娘的外孙女，如果牛郎能趁仙女洗澡的时候把织女的衣服拿走，她就会留下来作他的妻子。
Niulang built a small thatched cottage on the side of a mountain. He cut and dug and sweat until he had made a vegetable garden out of the rocky soil. He was often tired and hungry, but always found time to take good care of his old ox. One day, the old ox suddenly began to speak to him. It said that it used to be Taurus, the Golden-Ox Star, in the sky and had been banished by the Lord of Heaven to this world as punishment for its violation of heavenly rule by spreading grain seeds to this world. The old ox told Niulang that the goddesses of Heaven would take a bath in a sacred pond not far from his cottage a few days later. Among them was a beautiful, virtuous and industrious girl whose name is Zhinu, the Girl Weaver. Zhinu was a granddaughter of the King of the Heavenly Kingdom. If the Cowherd took the advantage of their bath in the pond to take away her clothes, she would stay and become his wife.
到了那天，牛郎藏在高大的芦苇丛里等着。老牛说的话显灵了，仙女们很快就到了，她们脱掉丝袍跳进水里。牛郎偷偷地爬出来，拿起织女的衣服跑开了。仙女们吓着了，赶快上岸，穿起衣服跑开了，把织女一个人留在后头。牛郎跑回来，把衣服还给了织女，他对织女一见钟情。两人相对而视，织女对牛郎说要做他的妻子。
When the day came, Niulang hid in the tall reeds by the pond and waited for the young goddesses. They soon came, just as the ox said they would. They took off their silk robes and jumped into the clear water. Niulang crept out of his hiding place, picked up Zhinu's clothes and ran away. Her companions were so frightened that they jumped out , dressed as quickly as they could and flew away, leaving the Girl Weaver behind. Niulang returned and gave her back her clothes. He had adored her from the first sight he saw her. They looked into each other's eyes. The Girle Weaver told the poor Cowherd that she would be his wife.
两人结婚后，牛郎耕田种地，织女纺线织衣，恩恩爱爱。织女成了远近的名人，她心灵手巧，养蚕纺纱，编锦织缎，样样精通。三年后，侄女生了对龙凤胎，男孩儿叫"金哥"，女孩儿叫"玉妹"。小两口日子过得幸福美满，牛郎织女满以为能够终身相守，白头到老。
After their marriage, the Cowherd ploughed and the Girl Weaver wove and they loved each other. The Girl Weaver became famous far and near for her dexterity in raising silkworms, reeling and weaving exquisite silks and satins. Three years later, Zhinu gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. They named the boy " Brother Gold" and the girl " Sister Jade". The couple were overjoyed with the additions to their family and believed that they would remain a devoted couple to the end of their lives.
一天，牛快死了，临死前说对小两口说，将它的皮剥下来放好，有朝一日，披上它，就可飞上天去。牛死后，牛郎心疼地剥下牛皮，小心翼翼地收藏起来。
One day, the ox was dying. Before it closed its eyes for the last time, it told the young couple to skin him and keep its hide after its death. It also told them that its hide would enablr a man to fly even to Heaven. After the old ox died, the young couple reluctantly skinned it and stored it with meticulous care.
这时候，玉皇大帝和王母娘娘听说孙女到了人间，还结婚生子，非常生气，遂下令天神尽快把织女捉回来。
Meanwhile, the King and Queen of Heaven found out that their granddaughter had gone to the world of Man and taken a husband. They flew into a temper. They ordered a god to bring the Girl Weaver back as soon as possible.
一日，牛郎从地里回来看见孩子们坐在地上哭，忙到织布机前看，没人。孩子说，有个老太太把妈妈抓走了。牛郎记起了老牛对他说的话，他把孩子放到两个箩筐里，披上牛皮，挑起箩筐，突然，他轻如浮云，飞向天空。眼看快追上了，王母娘娘听到了小孩的哭声，她朝后一望，从头上取下金簪，在身后划了一道，天空中立马出现一条奔腾的河，这条河就叫天河。天河太宽，河水湍急，牛郎飞不过去，只能看着织女飞走，父子三人哭得揪心裂胆，天帝见此情景，大为感动，遂允许牛郎织女每年农历七月初七在天河上鹊桥相会。
Niulang came back from the field one day to find his two children sitting on the ground and crying. He found the seat at the loom empty. The two children told him that an old lady had just taken their mother away. Niulang remembered what the old ox had told him, he carried his two children in two baskets on a pole and put on the magic hide. Immediately, he got as light as a cloud and flew up into the sky. He had almost caught up with the Queen and his wife when the Queen heard the crying of his children. Looking back, she pulled off a gold clasp from her hair and drew a line behind her. A raging torrent immediately appeared in the sky. This is the so-called River of Heaven. The Cowherd and his children could not get past this wide and swollen river. Heartbroken, he and his children could only look and weep bitterly. Moved by their mournful crying, the King of Heaven decided to allow the separated couple to meet on a bridge of magpies on the seventh night of the seventh Lunar month each year.
这对可怜的夫妻变成了星星，牛郎变成了牵牛星，织女成了织女星，把他们分开的河就是银河。
The poor couple each became a star, the Cowherd, Altair and the Girl Weaver, Vega. The wide river that kept them apart is known as the Milky Way.
这个悲楚动人的故事一代代相传。据说，七月初七那天，喜鹊很少，因为他们都要飞到银河上为牛郎织女搭起约会的桥。由于牛郎和织女在上面站的时间太长了，次日，这些忠实的喜鹊头都变秃了。
This sad love story has passed from generation to generation. It is well known that very few magpies are seen on the Double-Seventh Day. This is because they all fly to the Milky Way to form a bridge for the meeting of the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver. And the next day the magpies' heads are bald because the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver walked and stood too long on the heads of their loyal feathered friends.
在中国，许多人把"七夕节"当成本族的情人节。
The Double-Seventh Day in China is considered by many the Chinese Valentine's Day.
最后，祝天下有情人都能终成眷属。单身也别灰心，说不定你也会在今夜遇上你的那个他（她）呢！
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