7. China- where people visit the Temple of the Matchmaker to ask for love



The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is known as Qi Xi Jie (also called Night of Sevens, Festival of Double Sevens, Seven Sister's Festival, or Daughter's Festival), a traditional holiday that has recently been called China's Valentine's Day. This 2013, it falls on August 13.
 
This traditional Chinese festival based on a romantic love story started more than 2,000 years ago. Like all folk tales, there are many variations of the Qixi Festival legend, but the basic story is usually the same: a Chinese couple, Niulang (cow herder) and Zhinv (fairy weaver girl) were separated by the goddess of Heaven, who was angry that a fairy would want to marry a mortal. They could only meet once a year on a bridge formed by magpies, who took pity on the separated couple.
 
To celebrate this day, lovers visit the Temple of the Matchmaker and pray for love, happiness, and marriage. Singles also visit the temple to ask for luck in love. On this night, unmarried girls pray to Vega, the Weaving Maid star. It is also traditional for young girls to carve melons on this day.