The Myth of the Milky Way Lovers
(7th day of the seventh lunar month)

The story of the Milky Way lovers was one that was as romantic as Cinderella but more tragical than Romeo and Juliet. While Cinderella lived “happily ever after” and Romeo and Juliet were united in death, the Milky Way lovers were forever separated by heavenly decree, allowed only to meet once a year, midway between heaven and earth.

The Empress of the gods had under her supervision seven fairy sisters who were in charge of the weaving-looms of heaven. They were all known for their beauty and their skills and artistry in creating lovely fabrics that pleased the royal family very much.

Being young and curious, the seven sisters wanted to see how the people on earth lived. One day, their adventurous spirit got the better of them and they decided to pay a visit to earth. They landed in a beautiful countryside, and using their supernatural powers, disguised themselves as human maidens. Ch’i-chieh, the youngest of the seven, wandered off from her sisters into a field. There attending to his buffalo was a handsome young man named Dóng-yong. He was not a rich man, his only valuable possession being his buffalo which he rented out to plow his neighbours’ fields. The mischievous Ch’i wanted to meet him. She pretended to trip and fall, and he came gallantly to her rescue. One close look at each other and they fell in love at first sight!

Ch’i had to return to heaven, but she could not forget this young man. Time and again, she left her sisters and descended down to earth to see Dóng, all the while keeping her real identity a secret from him. Her elusiveness made the sisters suspicious and they decided to follow her on one of her trips. They were both shocked and frightened by what they found out, for falling in love with humans was a violation of the laws of heaven. Dóng however thought that the only objection was because he was poor and Ch’i was of a rich family. The tears and the pleadings of the lovers finally moved the sisters, and sororal love won. Attended by the sisters and officiated by the eldest one, the wedding ceremony took place.

The young couple fared well for some time. Dóng worked twice as hard than before, and Ch’i used her sewing skills to supplement the family’s income. Her creations were well-admired and in big demand, and soon they could live relatively comfortably in their modest dwelling. Back in heaven, the sisters were not so lucky. Soon, they ran out of excuses to explain the absence of Ch’i to the Empress who was livid with anger when she learned what had taken place. By her command, the gods of Thunder and Lightning and a squad of heaven’s soldiers were sent to bring the disobedient fairy back to face punishment.

Oblivious to her imminent peril, Ch’i was very happy and excited. She was pregnant (and she knew it was a son). Dóng was ecstatic, and they thought they could not have been more blessed! When her sisters appeared, she could not wait to tell them her news. But as she looked beyond them and saw the heavenly posse, she knew her time was up. Imagine her husband’s astonishment when he discovered he had been married to a fairy all this time!

Seeing their sister’s plight the six sisters braved the ire of the Empress and pled for her mercy. Finally touched by their love for their sister and the fact that Ch’i was pregnant, an ultimate divine blessing for a marriage, the Empress conceded to allow her to stay on earth till the baby was thirty days old. Then, she would have to return to heaven to face the consequences, and would be permitted to see her family only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Milky Way. It was said that the birds of heaven were so sympathetic to the couple’s sorrow and love that they formed a bridge on the Milky Way every year so that the family could meet at closer quarters.

As time went on, this day came to symbolize undying love and was celebrated by women, both unmarried and married ones. It became a traditional practice for females to thread a needle under the moonlight and to pray to Ch’i-chieh to bless them with a loving husband or a long-awaited son. It has become a primary festival for ladies in the Chinese calendar.

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