The legend
The legend behind the Chinese Valentine's Day revolves around two star-crossed lovers, Zhinhu, a weaver girl and daughter of a powerful goddess, and Niulang, a humble cowherd. Niulang met Zhinhu, they fell in love with each other, got married, lived a happy life together, and eventually gave birth to two children, a boy and a girl. However, when Zhinhu's mother discovers that her daughter married a mere mortal, she brings her back to heaven and casts a massive river between earth and heaven to separate the couple – this river is what we refer today as the Milky Way. And so the plot thickens, the magpies on land were touched by the love between Zhinhu and Niulang, so they helped the couple by forming a bridge on the river allowing Zhinhu to cross. Their love moved Zhinhu's mother and eventually permitted the couple to meet once a year, on that very same day, which is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
This romantic tale has inspired Chinese lovers for generations, even creating many modifications to the actual story.