VOLUME 1, Nº 1
DATE: FEBRUARY 2016
Reach the Sky Bulletin SLOVENIA IS A DIAMOND, VERY SMALL, AND PRICELESS To be honest, I didn’t know so much about Slovenia and its people in the beginning and really wondered what kind of an experience it will be. But if you ask me now, I can say that Slovenia is a diamond, very small, and priceless. It’s a wonderful country with breathtaking landscapes. A beautiful place for nature-lovers. Since we set off very early in the morning, we were a bit tired when we arrived in Sentjur. However, our Slovenian partner Jure’s warm welcome and the smiling faces of the students and their families who had come to meet us was more than enough to make us forget about our tiredness. When we arrived at the school, lots of surprises were waiting for us. I must confess that it was the sweetest school I have ever seen. I want to thank one more time to Jure, Maya, Niko and everybody who showed their friendship, warmth and sincerity. Our Romanian, Spanish and Polish partners were also very kind, positive and optimistic and we have had the chance of sharing intensively all the richness of our personalities, thoughts and ideas. By means of this project we proved that distances are not so important for becoming friends and I believe this spectacular co-operation will reach its main goal and we will remember this experience forever.
Cemil GÜLBAHAR Turkish Team
QIXI FESTIVAL The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on the Chinese
calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival. The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver maid and the cowherd, respectively. The Chinese folk tale is about a love story between Zhinü the weaver girl, symbolizing Vega, and Niulang, the cowherd, symbolizing Altair. Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River, symbolizing the Milky Way. Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th
lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day. There are many variations of the story. The earliest known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a Chinese Classic poem. The tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han Dynasty. The Qixi festival inspired Tanabata festival in Japan, Chilseok festival in Korea, and Thất Tịch festival in Vietnam. Junqui Shao. Spain