Out & About February 2017

a Chinese tale of star-cross’d lovers

Zhinü, the seventh daughter of the Empress of Heaven, was so skilled that she could weave clouds of many colours. One day she decided to visit the Earth and a cowherd called Niulang saw her and fell in love with her. While she was bathing he stole her dress so she couldn’t return to heaven, but when she saw him she fell in love with him too and they married, had two children, and were very happy. However, when the Empress of Heaven heard that Zhinü had married a mortal she was furious. Her daughter had given up her weaving so there were no longer any brightly coloured clouds in the heavens, and Niulang was neglecting his cattle.

The Empress sent her guards to bring Zhinü back to her palace in the sky – but Niulang put on a magic ox hide and, with their children in his arms, he flew after Zhinü. He had nearly caught up with her when the Empress, seeing this, took her hairpin, and drew a silver river across the sky – separating them forever. Zhinü became the star Vega, and Niulang and the children became the star Altair, and the two fainter stars on either side of it. Between them runs the faint silvery river of distant stars that make up our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Although February isn’t the best time of year to see these stars, if you get up early towards the end of the month you can catch a glimpse of them low down in the East before sunrise. And if

you have a clear, dark sky, away from street lights, look for the pale glow of the Milky Way running between Vega and Altair. The story does have a (sort of) happy ending though. The couple were so heartbroken that even the Empress took pity on them. Providing Zhinü works hard at her weaving, and Niulang keeps his cattle under control, once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, flocks of magpies come together to form a bridge over the Milky Way river and Zhinü and Niulang can spend the day together. This day is celebrated as the Chinese ‘Valentines’ day.

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