According to the Chinese calendar, Wednesday was the 7th day of the 7th moon, or the festival of Wew Long (4; BR). There are several other names for the day, such as Chi Tse (LHR), Tsui Chiao (4H) and Cha Chao Jih (535 8), the day is kept in memory of the unhappy marriage of a weaving irl and a cowboy, "Two Stars" as they were called. These two young people were very much in love with each other and while they were supposed to be carrying out their respective duties in the imperial household, they forgot their duties to cast loving Jocks at each other. This was noticed one day by the emperor. who ordered the cowboy to be banished and the girl to be put to hard work. They were, however, allowed to sec each other once a year, and this is the day set apart for that purpose.
Even on this day, the unhappy young wife, whose life was doomed to so much misery and disappointment, can talk but little with her husband as she was compelled to do all sorts of hard work, When her work is finished and she is about to tell her husband of her sorrows, dawn breaks and her husband is sent back to exile for another year.
Another version of the story is that she did not have a chance to talk with her husband because, she was kept too busy washing some 360 rice-bowls from which her husband had taken his daily food during the year. When the meal was over, he used to lay aside the bowl unwashed, for his wife to clean on his return to her.
It is also said that the couple go to meet each other over a bridge made of magpies, which have assembled so that the pair may reach each other on this day. Should there be no such bridge the pair are doomed not to meet.
Taking a walk in Chinese quarters to-day, one will notice men and women washing their hair (it being a day of good luck and one on which bad luck may be washed away), and parents give to their children a biscuit known as Chow Koo (35) or "wise fruit? in the hope that they will grow wise in later years.
There is a special play to celebrate the festival, entitled "Wedding Day of the Cowboy and the Weaving Girl," which will be played in many Chinese theatres.
Ayoruer Version or THerr Tate.
We are indebted to Mr. Y. H. Chang for the following version of the story of the ''Weaving Girl and the Cowboy," a story of which appeared in these columns on Wednesday, "Yesterday," says Mr. Chang, "according to tradition, was cho day on which the Weaving Girl and the Cowboy met at the Bridge of Birds after a year's separation. The bridge is said to be the only connexion over the river of silver which separated the Eastern Kingdom of Heaven from the Western Kingdom.
"The young lady in question was the daughter of the god (king?) of two realms. From her childhood she was able, and used continually to weave beautiful articles. She was indeed very clever. Her father was so pleased with her diligence that he married her to a cowboy in the Westerr. Kingdom.
"Immediately after her marriage, however, the young lady became indolent and laid aside her weavying. This made the king very angry, and he demanded that she should return to his home, but gave her permission to meet her husband on one day a year.
"When she did visit her husband's home, she was kept busy and was unable to spend much time with her husband ~beeause he, being also lazy. had put aside the dirty rice bowls from which he had eaten, and dirty clothes which he had worn throughout the year and waited until his wife returned to wash them for him. This made the young gir] very sad and she often used to ery over her fate.
"Last night, girls were to be seen lighting incense and candles in the streets, laying cakes and fruits on tables placed in vthroughfares, and a obeisance to the Weaving Girl. A curious custom in this connexion is that some girls creep underneath the tables with very small-eyed needles and a thread. As soon as the candles are lighted, they endeavour to thread the need-Ies. The girl who succeeds will, it is said, be as clever and as able as the Weaving Girl."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.