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Today’s Google Doodle: Whole Taiwan will celebrate the spirit of love today on the occasion of Qixi Festival 2023. The festival is also known as Double Seventh Festival, Magpie Festival, or Night of Sevens. It is also popular in other Asian cultures as well. 

The day is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, couples old and new share their love and affection for one another.

Today’s Google Doodle showcased a beautiful night scenery with Taiwanese people looking at the sky filled with shinning stars. The doodle is also a tribute to the love story of Zhinü and Niulang which is a famous folklore among people in Taiwan.

The folk tale is a love story of the weaver girl Zhinü and the cowherd Niulang. One may find ample number of versions of the story in the country. But the famous ones narrate their struggle for each other beyond stars and moons.

One day, Niulang’s old cow revealed that a group of beautiful fairies would be gathering in a nearby spring. Among the fairies was the heavenly weaver, Zhinü. Struck with love at first sight, Niulang stole her magical clothing that helped her return to heaven, turning her into an earthly woman. They married and had two children.

They were living a happy life until Zhinu’s parents were unaware about the marriage. After they knew about the trick, they sent down heavenly escorts to retrieve her. To get her wife back on Earth, Niulang tried to chase after her with a flying coat, but Zhinü’s mother created the Silver River (or the Milky Way) to stop him. 

Moved by the undeterred love of Niulang, the magpies gathered and formed a bridge over the celestial river to help them reunite. Moved by this phenomenon, Zhinü’s father agreed to let the two lovers meet on the seventh day of the seventh month each year.

On this day, people celebrate their love for their partners by attending operatic plays that retell the folk story, exchanging handmade gifts, enjoying intimate date nights, and more. Singles who are in search of love visit Yuelao temples, where the God of matchmaking is worshipped.

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Updated: 22 Aug 2023, 07:07 AM IST

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