Qixi Festival (Chinese: 七夕节), also known as the QiqiaoFestival (Chinese: 乞巧节),is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting ofthe cowherd and weaver girl in Chinesemythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on theChinese calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the ChineseValentine's Day, or the MagpieFestival. Thisis an important festival, especially for young girls.
The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers,Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver maid and the cowherd, respectively. Thetale of The Weaver Girl andthe Cowherd has beencelebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han Dynasty.The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 yearsago, which was told in a poem from the Classic ofPoetry. The festival inspired Tanabata in Japan and Chilseok in Korea.
Mythology
The general tale is about a love storybetween Zhinu (the weaver girl, symbolizing Vega) and Niulang (thecowherd, symbolizingAltair).Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of theSilver River (symbolizing the Milky Way). Once a year, on the 7th day ofthe 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite thelovers for one day. There are many variations of the story. A variationfollows:
A young cowherd, hence Niulang (Chinese: 牛郎; literally: "cowherd"), cameacross a beautiful girl—Zhinü (simplified Chinese: 织女; traditional Chinese: 织女; literally: "weavergirl"),the Goddess's seventh daughter, who had just escaped from boring heaven to lookfor fun. Zhinü soon fell in love with Niulang, and they got married without theknowledge of the Goddess. Zhinü proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang tobe a good husband. They lived happily and had two children. But the Goddess ofHeaven (or in some versions, Zhinü's mother) found out thatZhinü, a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The Goddess was furious andordered Zhinü to return to heaven. (Alternatively, the Goddess forced the fairyback to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds, a task she neglected whileliving on earth with a mortal.) On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wifehad disappeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killedit and put on its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife.Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two belovedchildren off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess discovered this and was veryangry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky toseparate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way betweenAltair and Vega. Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weavingon her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar while taking care of their twochildren (his flanking stars β and γ Aquilae orby their Chinese names Hè Gu 1 and Hè Gu 3). But once a year all the magpies inthe world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge (鹊桥,"the bridge of magpies", Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may betogether for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon.
Traditions
Young girls partake in worshiping thecelestials (拜仙) during rituals. They go to the local temple to pray toZhinü for wisdom. Paper items are usually burned as offerings. Girls mayalso recite traditional prayers for dexterity in needlework, which symbolizethe traditional talents of a good spouse. Divination could take place todetermine possible dexterity in needlework. They make wishes for marryingsomeone who would be a good and loving husband. During the festival, girls makea display of their domestic skills. Traditionally, there would be contestsamongst young girls who attempted to be the best in threading needles underlow-light conditions like the glow of ember or a half moon. Today, girlssometimes gather toiletries in honor of the seven maidens.
The festival also held an importance fornewly-wed couples. Traditionally, they would worship the celestial couplefor the last time and bid farewell to them. The celebration stood symbol for ahappy marriage and showed that the married woman was treasured by her newfamily.
During this festival, a festoon isplaced in the yard. Single and newly-wed women make offerings to Niulang andZhinü, which may include fruit, flowers, tea, and face powder.After finishing the offerings, half of the face powder is thrown on the roofand the other half divided among the young women. It is believed that by doingthis, the women are bound in beauty with Zhinü. Tales say that it will rain onthis fateful day if there's crying in heaven. Other tales say that you can hearthe lovers talking if you stand under grapevines on this night.
On this day, the Chinese gaze to the skyto look for Vega and Altair shiningin the Milky Way, while a third star formsa symbolic bridge between the two stars. It was said that if itrains on this day that it was caused by a river sweeping away the magpiebridge, or that the rain is the tears of the separated couple. Based on the legendof a flock of magpies forming a bridge to reunite the couple, a pair of magpiescame to symbolize conjugal happiness and faithfulness.
The legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl on the Double Seventh Festival originated from people's worship of natural celestial phenomena.
As early as in ancient times, the ancients who pursued order not only planned the sky in good order, but also corresponded the stars with the ground areas one by one.
This corresponding relationship is called "dividing stars" in astronomy and "dividing" in the ground. Simply put, the ancients corresponded each constellation in the sky to the physical geographical region of the earth.
The purpose of the ancient separation and separation was mainly to coordinate the astrological theory for astronomical astrology.
Qixi Festival, also known as Qiqiao Festival, Qijie Festival, Daughter's Day, Qiqiao Festival, Qiniang Club, Qiaoxi Festival, Bull Bull Mother's Day, Shuangqi Festival, is a traditional Chinese folk festival, which is the birthday of Qijie in the traditional sense.
Qixi Festival, originating in China, is the earliest love festival in the world. Among the many folk customs of Qixi Festival, some gradually disappear, but a considerable part of it has been continued by people.
In some Asian countries influenced by Chinese culture, such as Japan, Korean Peninsula, Vietnam and so on, there is also a tradition of celebrating the Double Seventh Festival.
Qixi Festival, also known as Qiqiao Festival, Qijie Festival, Daughter's Day, Qiqiao Festival, Qiniang Club, Qiaoxi Festival, Bull Bull Mother's Day, Shuangqi Festival, is a traditional Chinese folk festival, which is the birthday of Qijie in the traditional sense.
Qixi Festival, originating in China, is the earliest love festival in the world. Among the many folk customs of Qixi Festival, some gradually disappear, but a considerable part of it has been continued by people.
The legend has been handed down for nearly 2 millennia. The story has been recorded as far back as the Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD). Poets composed hundreds of verses on the love story and many types of Chinese opera tell the story. The Chinese people believe that the star Vega(织女星), east of the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu and, at the constellation of Aquila(天鹰座), on the western side of the Milky Way, Niu Lang waits for his wife. Zhi Nu was said to be the youngest of seven daughters of the Queen of Heaven. With her sisters, she worked hard to weave beautiful clouds in the sky, while Niu Lang was a poor orphan cowherd, driven out of his home by his elder brother and his cruel wife. Niu Lang lamented over his lonely and poor life with an old cow, his only friend and companion. The magical cow kindly told him of a way to find a beautiful and nice woman as his life companion. Under the direction of the cow, Niu Lang went to the riverside on an evening, where the seven fairies slipped out of their heavenly palace to bathe. He took one of the beautiful silk dresses the fairies had left on the bank. When the fairies left the water, the youngest couldn''t find her clothes and had to see her sisters fly back to heaven without her. Then Niu Lang came out with the dress and asked the youngest fairy, Zhi Nu, to stay with him. Several years passed on Earth, which were only a few days in heaven. Niu Lang and Zhi Nu lived happily together and had two children before the Queen of Heaven discovered Zhi Nu''s absence. She was so annoyed she had Zhi Nu brought back to heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying in the sky, Niu Lang was terrified. He caught sight of the cowhide hanging on a wall. The magical cow had told him before dying of old age: "Keep the cowhide(牛皮) for emergency use." Putting the cowhide on, he went after his wife with his two children. With the help of the cowhide, Niu Lang was able to follow Zhi Nu into heaven. He was about to reach his wife when the Queen showed up and pulled off her hairpin to draw a line between the two. The line became the Silver River in heaven, or the Milky Way. Zhi Nu went back to the heavenly workshop, going on weaving the clouds. But she was so sad, and missed her husband across the Silver River so much that the clouds she weaved seemed sad. Finally, the Queen showed a little mercy, allowing the couple to meet once every year on the Silver River.