英语阅读翻译：看古时候的女人都怎么过七夕

英语阅读翻译：看古时候的女人都怎么过七夕

　　1、投针验巧

　　Ingenuity test by floating needle

　　Ingenuity test by floating needle is one of the common customs on the festival.

　　Put some water in a vessel and leave it in the open air until it is covered by a film of dust.

　　Then cast a needle or thin straw on it to see the pattern of the shadow at the bottom, so as to test their ingenuity

　　验巧方法“投针验巧”：

　　先准备一只面盆，放在天井里，倒入“鸳鸯水”，即把白天取的'水和夜间取的水混合在一起。但常常把河水、井水混在一起倒入面盆就算成了，面盆和水要露天过夜，再经第二天即七月初七白天太阳一晒，到中午或下午就可以“验巧”了。原来面盆里的水，经过半天太阳光照射，表面依稀生成薄膜，于是取引线（即“缝衣针”），轻轻平放在水面上，针不会下沉，水底下，就出现针影，这针影若是笔直的一条，即是“乞巧”失败，若是针影形成各种形状，或弯曲，或一头粗，一头细，或是其他图形，便是“得巧”。

　　2、穿针乞巧

　　Pleading for Skills by Threading a Needle

　　In order to plead for skills, threading a needle is the most long-standing means.

　　It tests the speed of threading a needle under the moon.

　　It is said that the needles used in the contest are the seven-hole needle of the Han Dynasty or the nine-tail needle of the Yuan Dynasty.

　　With more holes than ordinary needles, they are rather hard to handle.

　　“穿针乞巧”验巧方法：

　　七夕之夜，女子手执五色丝线和连续排列的九孔针（或五孔针、七孔针）趁月光对月连续穿针引线，将线快速全部穿过者称为“得巧”。

　　3、喜蛛应巧

　　Cobweb as the Determinant

　　Pleading for skills with cobweb is another common custom in the festival, in which everybody puts a spider into a locket and waits until the next morning to see if there is cobweb and if any, how it looks.

　　The one with a most round cobweb of the most mesh will be the winner.

　　“喜蛛应巧”验巧方法：

　　七月七日，各捉蜘蛛于小盒中，至晓开；视蛛网稀密以为得巧之侯。密者言巧多，稀者言巧少。民间亦效之

　　4、巧果

　　Qiaoguo（Fried Thin Pastes）is in different shapes with the materials mostly being oil, flour, sugar and honey.

　　The deft hands will nip them into all shapes related to the legend of the Festival.

　　The melons and fruits used on the day are usually carved into the shapes of flowers and birds, or carved with patterns in relief on the melon peel, which are therefore called “carved melons”