Cowherd and weaver
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is the seventh eve of July each year. It is a mythical story from the meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. It has been stretching for more than 2,000 years since the Han Dynasty and gradually formed special festivals and customs. Ancient gardens are often the place where the Tanabata activities are held, and the landscapes such as some terraces and ponds are closely related to the theme of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
The Milky Way across the heavens is composed of a large number of stars. On a clear night, there is a silver-white twilight belt, also known as Yinhan, Tianhe, Xinghan and Yunhan. There are both the Altair and the Vega on the east and west sides of the Milky Way. The two main stars also have two auxiliary stars on each side, facing each other across the river.
In the pre-Qin period, "The Book of Songs, Xiaoya·Dadong" has linked the two stars of the morning glory and the weaver girl: "There is a glory in the sky, and there is also a light in the prison. The sorcerer and the woven girl are seven days old. Although they are seven, they are not newspapers." "There is a cow, not a box." It means that there is a galaxy in the sky, shining like a mirror. The three-forked Vega is shifted seven times every day and night. Although it is so hard, it can not be clothed, but bright. The Altair can't pull the car like a real cow.
After Emperor Qin Shihuang unified the world, he expanded the palace on the Guanzhong Plain, and compared it with a huge group of buildings, directly symbolizing the Milky Way with the waters of the east and west, and comparing the Xianyang Palace on the north bank of Lishui to the "Purple Palace" where the Emperor was living.垣), the Palace of the South Bank of the Upper Linyuan is like a "Tianji" (Beichenxing), and builds a 280-step cross bridge on the water. It is more magnificent than the Altair, but it is purely abstract. Layout. At this time, the Altair is actually a long bridge, robbing the role of the later generations of the bridge, and there is no position of the Vega, can not see the meaning of the Tanabata myth.
In the Western Han Dynasty, the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has basically taken shape, and the two stars, the Morning Glory and the Weaver Girl, have been given a clear personality image. There is a slogan in the "Nineteen Ancient Poems": Yingyingyishui, the veins are not spoken." The poem says that the glittering brightening of the Altair and the Vega is separated by a galaxy. The hand of the Weaver Girl is weaving all day, but it is always woven, tears are raining, the Milky Way The water is clear and shallow, how far apart? Across the water, the two looked at each other but could not talk. This is obviously a beautiful love story with lovers not to be together.
In the three years (the first 120 years) of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened a Kunming pond in Shanglinyuan. The Zhouhui was forty miles away. It was a large-scale, originally wanted to train the water army here, to attack the southwestern barbarians of Kunming, and at the same time use this large pool as the new Galaxy. Incarnation, the stone statues of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are erected on both sides of the East and West, representing the Altair and the Vega. Therefore, the Eastern Han Dynasty writer and historian Ban Gu wrote in the "Western Fu": "On the pool of Kunming, left-handed Right weaver girl, like the endless cloud of the Han, so a pair of lovers finally got a complete expression in the garden.
These two stone carvings are still preserved in two small temples in Doumen Town, Chang'an District, Xi'an. The cowherd is 258 cm high, with the left hand on the abdomen and the right hand on the chest. The female statue is 228 cm high and the hands are caged in the sleeves. Both of them are big eyes and wide noses. They are embarrassing and unrestrained. They are very different from the image of handsome men in the minds of modern people. The locals are called "Shiye" and "Shi Po", and they often come here to worship incense.
The Tanabata day of the Han Dynasty has become a fixed holiday. Women often wear clothes, wear seven-handed needles and knot colorful silk threads on this day. All three things involve fabrics. Wearing a seven-handed needle is for "smart", that is, praying for the craftsmanship to the weaver; the knot is for wishing to be with the loved one forever; the clothes may be due to the summer and autumn season, suitable for drying, to avoid insects .
These customs are first popular in the court gardens, and then gradually extended to the folk. Mrs. Liu, who was favored by Liu Gaozu, had a maid named Pei Lan. In his later years, he recalled that the Baizi Pool in the Han Palace Garden was the place where the palace ladies had a colorful line. They also used the Western Region’s Yu Le. "Xijing Miscellanies" records that there is an exposure building on the side of the Jianzhang Palace Taiji Pool, which is specially used for drying clothes during the Tanabata season.
It is said that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was born in Chongfangge, Chang'an Weiyang Palace on July 7 in the first year of Emperor Jingdi (the first 156 years). His father Jingdi dreamed that a red pig descended from the sky, and the Danxia shrouded the pavilion. Called the Lan Lan Temple. After Emperor Wu’s adulthood, the superstition of the gods was very important to Tanabata. On July 7th of a certain year, Emperor Wudi celebrated his birthday at Chenghua Hall. He suddenly saw a bird flying from the west. He gathered in front of the temple and asked the minister what the Eastern monk was going to do. Dongfang said that the West Queen Mother was coming. After a while, Xi Wangmu really Take the white clouds and bring two blue birds to the temple. This story shows that July 7 is a magical day.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, the folks thought that the Vega was the main fruit, so they could be placed on the Qixi Festival. The Jingzhou area is also known as the Altair, and it is believed that this star is responsible for the Guan Guan and the bridge.
The Eastern Han Dynasty "Traditional Customs" Yiwen records two stars crossing the river to meet, with the bridge as the bridge - the autumn magpie just happens to be bald because of the change of hair, and it is attached to the mountain because of the bridge and the two stars of the weaver.
Another Taoist book said that the Altair and the Vega were detained, and the 20,000 yuan donated by the Emperor of Heaven was prepared for the dowry, but it was not returned for a long time. The Emperor was furious and drove him to the other side of the Tianhe River. This version of the legend describes the Cowherd as a negative-hearted image, which has not been recognized by the people.