牛郎织女是一个很美丽的千古流传的爱情故事，是我国四大民间爱情传说之一。比喻分居两地的夫妻。也泛指一对恋人。每年农历七月七日，有百鸟到银河搭鹊桥，牛郎织女相会的美好传说。所以，这一天被称为七夕、七夕节、乞巧节、少女节或女儿节，现代又被称为中国情人节。
legend has it that there was a vega, and an altair. weaver and traction
bovine agree in opinion, have mutual affinity. however, law of law are not allowed to man and a woman, to love. weaver is the jade emperor and yao ji 's daughter, mother will go to morning glory again, weaver kept weaving brocade as punishment.
weaver's work, is to use a magic silk loom to weave layers in the beautiful clouds, along with time and different seasons and changing their color, this is " tink ". since the morning glory was demoted after weaver, often in tears, bend the brows miss morning glory. she sat near the loom stop weave beautiful brocade with a view to win the great compassion, let the morning glory early return to heaven.
one day, a few fairy begged wang mu to go to the world yiyou green lotus pool, wang mu today mood right, he promised them. they see the vega all depressed, went to the queen mother. let weaver common to the queen mother love, also was later granddaughter, will make them come to.
morning glory was demoted after saying, was born in a peasant family, named cowherd. later his parents died, he was followed by his brother. his brother to be the very harsh, and he breaks up, gave him an old ox and an old car, the other is that his brother and sister-in-law exclusive. then, he and the separation. since then, the cowherd and the old together, they in the wilderness trail, till the land, build houses.
one or two years later, they create a small home, can barely live from hand to mouth. but, except for the dumb ox and outside, deserted house only when a person, live a quite lonely.
the cowherd did not know, the old cow is heaven taurus. to this day, old ox suddenly spoke, it said: " the cowherd cowherd,#p##e# today you go green lotus pool a, there are some fairies in take a shower, you take the red fairy clothes to hide, in the red fairy dress fairy will become your wife. " see the old cowboy mouth words, strange, happy, he asked: " cattle brother, you really can talk? what you say is true? " cow nodded, then quietly hide in the green lotus pool, reeds, waiting for the coming of the fairies. after a while, the fairies really elegant drifts off light, luo clothes, leap into the stream. cowboy from reed ran out, took the red fairy clothing. the fairies to see somebody comes, all have to wear their own clothes, like a bird flew away, leaving no clothes can't escape the fairy, she is the girl weaver. weaver see his immortal by a guy robbed, shame and anxious, but feel helpless. then, the cowherd walked up, said to her, she promised to be his wife, he can give her clothes. weaver began to see, know the cowherd is his want of petunia, then to promise him. thus, vega would do the cowboy's wife.
after they marry, men tilling the farm and womenweaving, be deeply attached to each other, to live very happy. soon, they gave birth to a son and a daughter, very cute. they thought to be lifelong, reach old age. but, she knew it, fly, god will be immediately sent to catch back to the celestial palace accusing weaver. to this day, weaver was cooking, next to the cowboy hurried, inflamed eyes told weaver: " cattle brother died, he said to me before he died, after his death, his leather stripping down, some day in the future, with it, you can fly to heaven. " weaver girl listens, wondered, she knew, old sky is taurus, only because of who was banished from the morning to speak a few words of justice, also under the heaven. how it will suddenly die? vega would allow niulang off leather, a proper burial of water buffaloes.
at this moment, the sky storm divine troops descending from heaven, drop from the clouds, no time is allowed for explanation., escorted vega wou#p##e#ld fly up in the sky. are flying, flying, weaver heard the voice: "weaver, wait for me! " they looked back, saw the cowboy with a pair of baskets, carrying two people, dressed leather came. slowly, the distance between them is more and more close, the weaver can see children cute, the children are with open arms, shouting "mom ", seeing, the cowboy and the weaver girl to meet. but then, she drove the auspicious clouds came, she pulled out her head to figure, among them total, all of a sudden, a milky way the waves roll across the vega and altair, unable to cross the.
they looked at the milky way the cowherd and the sons and daughters, straight cry shout oneself hoarse, the cowherd and the children cried half alive. they cry, the children a sound " mother " shouts, was so anxious cleft gall, copy from rolia, even in a wait-and-see fairy, the gods felt sad sad, not to have the heart. she saw the scene, also a little for the faithful love touched, they agreed to let the cowherd and the children left in the sky, every july 7th, let them meet again. since then, the cowherd and his children lived in heaven, separated by a distance across the milky way, and weaver. in the autumn the stars in the sky, we still can see the milky way on both sides have two big star, bright shining, that is the vega and altair. and altair together and the two small stars, that is home to a boy and a girl.
cowboy weaver meet in july 7th, numerous groups of magpies flying bridge for them. on the bridge, the reunion! vega and altair is relative, cuddled their children, there are countless words to say, there are endless love to talk to!
later, every lunar july and, according to legend cowboy weaver meet bridge day, girls will come to the ideal setting for a couple in love, look up at the stars, look for the milky way on both sides of the altair and vega, hope to see them once a year meeting, begging god to make their own as a weaver that have clever hands and good#p##e# sense, to pray to have their own wishful heart happy marriage and beautiful love, resulting in the july 7th day. ( the annual meeting, the sky one day, underground for a year, so the day. )
this story contains a matriarchal society of the core values, is the maternal family rearing children, her husband only from time to time to reunite with his wife and children. it has a long history.
相传天上有个织女星，还有一个牵牛星。织女和牵牛情投意合，心心相印。可是，天条律令是不允许男欢女爱、私自相恋的。织女是玉帝与瑶姬的女儿，王母便将牵牛贬下凡尘了，令织女不停地织云锦以作惩罚。
织女的工作，便是用了一种神奇的丝在织布机上织出层层叠叠的美丽的云彩，随着时间和季节的不同而变幻它们的颜色，这就是“天衣”。自从牵牛被贬之后，织女常常以泪洗面，愁眉不展地思念牵牛。她坐在织机旁不停地织着美丽的云锦以期博得王母大发慈心，让牵牛早日返回天界。
一天，几个仙女向王母恳求想去人间碧莲池一游，王母今日心情正好，便答应了她们。她们见织女终日苦闷，便一起向王母求情让织女共同前往，王母也心疼受惩后的孙女，便令她们速去速归。
话说牵牛被贬之后，落生在一个农民家中，取名叫牛郎。后来父母去世，他便跟着哥嫂度日。哥嫂待牛郎非常刻薄，要与他分家，只给了他一头老牛和一辆破车，其他的都被哥哥嫂嫂独占了。然后，便和牛郎分家了。
从此，牛郎和老牛相依为命，他们在荒地上披荆斩棘，耕田种地，盖造房屋。一两年后，他们营造成一个小小的家，勉强可以糊口度日。可是，除了那只不会说话的老牛而外，冷清清的家只有牛郎一个人，日子过得相当寂寞。牛郎并不知道，那条老牛原是天上的金牛星。
这一天，老牛突然开口说话了，它对牛郎说：“牛郎，今天你去碧莲池一趟，那儿有些仙女在洗澡，你把那件红色的仙衣藏起来，穿红仙衣的仙女就会成为你的妻子。”牛郎见老牛口吐人言，又奇怪又高兴，便问道：“牛大哥，你真会说话吗？你说的是真的吗？”老牛点了点头，牛郎便悄悄躲在碧莲池旁的芦苇里，等候仙女们的来临。不一会儿，仙女们果然翩翩飘至，脱下轻罗衣裳，纵身跃入清流。牛郎便从芦苇里跑出来，拿走了红色的仙衣。仙女们见有人来了，忙乱纷纷地穿上自己的衣裳，像飞鸟般地飞走了，只剩下没有衣服无法逃走的仙女，她正是织女。织女#p##e#见自己的仙衣被一个小伙子抢走，又羞又急，却又无可奈何。这时，牛郎走上前来，对她说，要她答应做他妻子，他才能还给她的衣裳。织女定睛一看，才知道牛郎便是自己日思夜想的牵牛，便含羞答应了他。这样，织女便做了牛郎的妻子。
他们结婚以后，男耕女织，相亲相爱，日子过得非常美满幸福。不久，他们生下了一儿一女，十分可爱。牛郎织女满以为能够终身相守，白头到老。可是，王母知道这件事后，勃然大怒，马上派遣天神将织女捉回天庭问罪。这一天，织女正在做饭，下地去的牛郎匆匆赶回，眼睛红肿着告诉织女：“牛大哥死了，他临死前说，要我在他死后，将他的牛皮剥下放好，有朝一日，披上它，就可飞上天去。”织女一听，心中纳闷，她明白，老牛就是天上的金牛星，只因替被贬下凡的牵牛说了几句公道话，也贬下天庭。它怎么会突然死去呢？织女便让牛郎剥下牛皮，好好埋葬了老牛。
正在这时，天空狂风大作，天兵天将从天而降，不容分说，押解着织女便飞上了天空。正飞着、飞着，织女听到了牛郎的声音：“织女，等等我！”织女回头一看，只见牛郎用一对箩筐，挑着两个儿女，披着牛皮赶来了。慢慢地，他们之间的距离越来越近了，织女可以看清儿女们可爱的模样，孩子们了都张开双臂，大声呼叫着“妈妈”，眼看，牛郎和织女就要相逢了。可就在这时，王母驾着祥云赶来了，她拔下她头上的金簪，往他们中间一划，霎时间，一条天河波涛滚滚地横在了织女和牛郎之间，无法横越了。
织女望着天河对岸的牛郎和儿女们，直哭得声嘶力竭，牛郎和孩子也哭得死去活来。他们的哭声，孩子们一声声“妈妈”的喊声，是那样揪心裂胆，催人泪下，连在旁观望的仙女、天神们都觉得心酸难过，于心不忍。王母见此情此景，也稍稍为牛郎织女的坚贞爱情所感动，便同意让牛郎和孩子们留在天上，每年七月七日，让他们相会一次。从此，牛郎和他的儿女就住在了天上，隔着一条天河，和织女遥遥相望。在秋夜天空的繁星当中，我们至今还可以看见银河两边有两颗较大的星星，晶莹地闪烁着，那便是织女星和牵牛星。和牵牛星在一起的还有两颗小星星，那便是牛郎织女的一儿一女。
牛郎织女相会的七月七日，无数成群的喜鹊飞来为他们搭桥。鹊桥之上，牛郎织女团聚了！织女和牛郎深情相对，搂抱着他们的儿女，有无数的话儿要说，有无尽的情意要倾诉啊！
后来，每到农历七月初七，相传牛郎织女鹊桥相会的日子，姑娘们就会来到花前月#p##e#下，抬头仰望星空，寻找银河两边的牛郎星和织女星，希望能看到他们一年一度的相会，乞求上天能让自己能象织女那样心灵手巧，祈祷自己能有如意称心的美满婚姻和美丽的爱情，由此形成了七夕节。（牛郎织女一年一相会，天上一天，地下一年，所以牛郎织女天天相会）
这个故事蕴含了母系氏族社会的核心价值观，就是母系家族养育孩子，丈夫只能隔一段时间才能与妻儿团聚。由此可见其历史之悠久。