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In our eastern culture, mythological gods and heroes
of the ancient times are also associated with visible
stars. Originated in China but shared among
Chinese-influenced cultures like Japan, Korea, and
Vietnam, the best known romantic love story is the
legend of The Milky Way or the love story of Nguu Lang
and Chuc Nu. |
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Chuc Nu was the daughter of the Jade Emperor, the
ruler of Heaven. She was a beautiful, laborious,
and skillful weaver who could make the most exquisite
tapestries. |
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She could weave sunrays together with
moonlight, and dressed her work with twinkling stars to
make the most exceptional materials. From these,
her father’s robes and fairies' dresses were made.
Being a beautiful princess, she had many suitors, but
she could not find love among the magnificent and
handsome princes of heaven, for none could make her
happy. |
| One sunny summer’s day, she happened to look
out the palace window and saw her father's
herdsman driving the royal cattle along the banks of the
Milky Way. Their eyes met, and both knew that
this was love at first sight. As the herdsman Nguu
Lang was a very handsome and conscientious worker who
had always been a loyal servant in looking after the
royal cattle, the Jade Emperor allowed them to get
married. |
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The couple was very happy together, and their love grew
stronger and sweeter each day thereafter. However, they
were too devoted to each other, and consequently neglected
all their work. Chuc Nu forgot her own weaving. The
weaving wheel stood still and gathered dusty cobwebs,
while the royal cattle roamed far and wide across the
heavenly meadows, destroying heaven’s crops. |
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Jade Emperor warned them repeatedly, but they
were so deeply in love that they kept forgetting their
duties. The Emperor decided to banish Nguu Lang to
the other side of the Milky Way, so that he
could tend to the cattle there, and the two lovers could
never meet again.
Chuc Nu pleaded with her father not to pass such a
harsh sentence, but to no avail. However, soon after,
the Jade Emperor took a little pity, and promised that
they could meet once a year on the seventh day of the
seventh month. So every year, on the seventh day of
the seventh month, Chuc Nu stands on one side of the
Milky Way and appeals to the crows to help the
parted lovers be together again. The crows from
all over the world would unite, and form a bridge so
that Chuc Nu and Nguu Lang could cross and be
together again. |
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The crows in the legend are most likely the birds
that migrate across the sky during the seventh lunar
month. In Vietnam during this time of the year, a light
rain falls throughout the day. The
Vietnamese call this rain “Mua Ngau,” and associate
it with the happy tears of long parted lovers.
During hot summer days, these light rains are
welcomed with joy, for it means the crops will have
enough water to avoid a drought. |
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Chuc Nu and Nguu Lang in the legend are both
immortalized with two beautiful stars on the night
sky. Chuc Nu is Vega of the constellation Lyra, and
Nguu Lang is the bright Altair of Aquila. Both of
these stars are easily visible in the summer, when
together with Deneb they form the familiar summer
triangle in the Northern Hemisphere night sky. The
triangle of stars is easily visible in the summer
sky. If weather conditions permit, you can see the
silvery patch of light that is the Milky Way, and it
flows over Deneb, separating Vega and Altair. |
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