Bet You Didn't Know This About Chinese Valentine's Day

Today is Chinese Valentine’s Day, falling on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Qīxī Festival is the Chinese version of Valentine's Day in western countries.

As it is a day of great importance to girls all over the country, the event is also called Young Girls' Festival and has been endowed with the meaning of great romance in accordance with the beautiful legend of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu.

What is Chinese Valentine’s Day about?

This day actually stems from a romantic story from Chinese mythology of two lovers, Zhinü (織女 zhī nǚ), meaning ‘weaver maid,’ and Niulang (牛郎牛 niú lánɡ ), meaning ‘cowherd.’ Like Romeo and Juliet, their love was forbidden. 

The legend of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu is one of the four Chinese folk legends about love and is celebrated during the Double Seventh Festival.

It is said that Niu Lang was a cowboy who had a kind heart even though he was without living parents. Living with his brother and brother-in-law, he was often maltreated. One day, after having been driven out of his home, an old man (who turned out to be a supernatural being) guided him to the sick cattle from heaven. With great care from Niu Lang, the cattle recovered. 

In order to show gratitude to Niu Lang, the cow helped him get acquainted with Zhi Nu - a fairy from heaven. They fell for one another and eventually married to live a happy life. Niu Lang planted in the field while Zhi Nu did weaving at home. 

The couple was also magically given a boy and a girl. However, good times didn't last long because Zhi Nu's deeds were known by the king of heaven who sent her back to the kingdom up in the sky. 

With the cow's help, Niu Lang flew to heaven along with his two children as they chased their mother, and just before he could reach Zhi Nu, the queen of heaven created a huge river to separate them. Tears shed by both of them flowed continuously so that even the queen was moved. As a result, she allowed them to meet only on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year.

Different regions in China have their own way of celebrating Qixi Festival:

Shaanxi

Needle cutting, line cutting and window cutting

In the Loess Plateau area of Shaanxi Province, there is also a custom of holding various begging activities on the night of the Tanabata Festival. Women often tie up herbalists who wear floral clothes, so-called Qiaogu, not only to provide melons and fruits, but also to plant bean sprouts and green onions. On the night of the Tanabata Festival, all the women carry a bowl of clear water, cut beans and green onions, put them in the water and watch the moon. The shadow of the object of investment leads to a clever and unlucky life. It also goes through needles and lines, and competes. At the same time, there are also activities to cut window flowers using skillful hands.

Zhejiang

Picking dew

In Zhejiang rural areas, the custom of using the washbasin to expose dew is popular. Legend has it that the dew on Tanabata Festival is a collection of the tears shed by the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl when they would meet. If they are put on their eyes and hands, they can make them bright.

Guangzhou

Introduce fairy

Guangzhou's Qiqiao Festival has its own characteristics. Before the festival comes, girls prepare colored paper, straw, thread and so on to make various exquisite little things. They also put grain and mung beans into small boxes to soak them in water and make them germinate. When the buds grow to two inches long, they are used to worship the gods. They are called "worship the immortals" and "worship the divine dishes.

" From the sixth night to the seventh night, two nights in a row, the girls put on new clothes and new jewelry, and after everything is arranged, they burn incense and light candles, kneel to the stars, call "greeting immortals," from the third to fifth, to worship seven times. After worshiping immortals, the girls hold colored lines against the lights and shadows to thread through the pinholes, such as breath can pierce seven pinholes called Qiao, known as skillful hands, less than seven pinholes called Shuqiao. After the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the girls presented each other's little handicrafts and toys to show their friendship.

Jiangsu

Clean water viewing shadow is skillful

The Qiqiao activity in the Jiangsu area is to get a bowl of water in the sun, and to spend the night in the open air. That is to say, picking up fine grass sticks floating in the water depending on the shadow to make sure that it is skillful. There are also many young women who use small needles to see the shadow of the bottom of the needle. The Han nationality in other areas also adopts this way of fulfilling their wisdom.

Guangxi

Storage water, red head rope seven knots

In some areas of Guangxi, it is customary to store water on the seventh day of the lunar calendar. It is believed that the "double seventh" water bath can eliminate disasters and rid you of diseases. Wearing seven knots of red around your head and neck, the weak and sick children often pray for good health and good luck.

Zhejiang

Listen quietly under the pumpkin shed

In rural areas of Shaoxing, many young girls will hide under the booming pumpkin shed one night. If they can hear the whispers of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting in the dead of night, the young girl who is to be married will be able to get the unswerving love of the millennium in the future.

We can see that the same festival in different places has different customs, they reflect the ancient wisdom of the local people, using a unique way to show their love. 

Although these customs are gradually forgotten, some people even thought such custom is ridiculous. But they also have unique loveliness. 

Compared with today's young people, they only go shopping and watch movies. 

I feel that ancient Qixi is much more wonderful.

Author: Suki 

Editor: Crystal Huang

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