This year, Chinese Valentine’s Day or 七夕/Qīxī falls on August 25th, 2020. This is the one day in the entire year that the two lovers (the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl) are reunited. It is romantic and tragic and a good reminder to cherish those we love. It is also a fun explanation to why the stars Vega and Altair seem to stare at each other from across the Milky Way.
I created a printable you can use at home to share this story with your child. It is not only a coloring page, but a folding page–one that hides and reveals parts of the image to tell the story.
My daughter loved to fold the page over and over to retell the story. She was a little concerned about how sad the story was and felt it was unfair. She tried to think of various hypothetical situations where the two lovers and their children could be together all the time. We had a talk about it, and it was a good way to connect. After you tell the story, consider discussing the following questions with your child:
- Why do you think the Queen Mother of Heaven disapproved of the marriage?
- Why did the magpies want to help? What can you do to help someone when they are sad?
- If you could only visit your family one day in the year, what activities would you choose to do?
You can download the printable below in English, Traditional, or Simplified Chinese.
I hope you have fun exploring the story behind this Chinese holiday!
Tiny Chinese Homeschool 