Valentine's Day in China. Interesting on the net. The Legend of the Heavenly Weaver and the Shepherd
According to the lunar calendar, the romantic holiday of lovers of Qixijie falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, according to the Gregorian - on the month of August.
Qixijie holiday date
- in 2016 - August 9
- in 2017 - August 28
- in 2018 - August 17
- in 2019 - August 7
- in 2020 - August 25
History of Qixijie Festival
What are the features of this holiday? Romantic parable This day is based on the parable of the tragic love of a young shepherd and a heavenly fairy. Thousands of stars light up in the sky tonight, of which the brightest "Shepherd" and "Weaver", which are separated from each other by the Milky Way. According to legend, the poor shepherd Nyulan fell in love with the fairy Jinya. Despite the barriers, the young got married, and they had two beautiful children.
Angry, Heavenly Lady Wangma separated the young. Grieving, Nyulan and the children, wrapped in the skin of their beloved ox, flew into the sky for their beloved, but Wangma intervened again, tracing the Silver River (Milky Way) in the sky with a hairpin. Because of this, the lovers could not unite. Seeing how the young are suffering, the birds decide to help them. A flock of forty, having gathered together, formed a bridge on which lovers can meet once a year. Taking pity, Wangma went to meet Nyulan and Jin.
Features of the celebration of Valentine's Day in China
On this day, it is customary to decorate courtyards with garlands, lanterns and flowers. Young people give each other symbolic gifts. Fairs are held on the streets, decorations and gifts are sold in honor of the holiday. The most valuable gift used to be the exchange of bamboo letters. The young people declared their love through letters. They also gave each other silk, cross-stitched personalized kerchiefs. In the evening, young girls are preparing to make an offering to the table. Served with fruits, various flour sweets and Chinese "qiaoso" halva, tea, nuts and powder. It is given to young girls to find beauty. At the same time, the fair sex worship heaven seven times and turn with prayer to the Heavenly Weaver in order to adopt the skill of the weaving craft, which brings love and happiness.
Also that night they were guessing. For example, they took a needle for embroidery and threw it into the water, if the needle floats up, then the girl is talented and ready for marriage. They also took colored threads and threaded them through seven needles. If the girl coped with the task, then she will be happy in the future. The most interesting event was when the young people tried to hear Jinyu and Nyulan's whispers. It was believed that whoever hears will be happy in marriage and gain unearthly love. The Chinese are trying to preserve the primordially ancient traditions of this holiday, since it is based on the combination of two principles and the birth of a new family.
Surprisingly, in the distant Middle Kingdom, a relatively new romantic holiday for Europeans called Valentine's Day has been celebrated for many hundreds of years. The holiday of Qixijie, or the Chinese "St. Valentine's Day" is also known as the "Night of Sevens" or "The Magpie Holiday" and is celebrated, unlike its Western counterpart, on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. Legend, traditions, fortune-telling and rituals - about everything in order.
The Qixi Festival in 2015 falls on August 20. When Valentine's Day is celebrated in China in the following years, see the table below:
This holiday is mentioned in the historical chronicles of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 AD). The Chinese holiday Qixi is known in Japan as Tanabata, and in Korea as Chilseok. And in Vietnam, this day is known as Rain Day. The history of occurrence and the days of celebrations in these countries in many ways, if not in all, coincide. And the beginning of the celebration was laid by an old touching legend about the tragic story of shared love, which has a real astronomical projection.
The Legend of the Heavenly Weaver and Shepherd.
This story is that the lovers, with their careless behavior, angered the Goddess of Heaven (in various sources of the Emperor, the father or mother of a shepherd or girl). She was angry that the lovers had completely abandoned their duties, indulging in passionate love. And then, in order to separate them forever, the Goddess created a natural barrier between them - known in astronomy as the Milky Way between the stars Altair and Vega. Later, the Goddess of Heaven, out of pity for the devoted and touching love of the Shepherd and the Heavenly Weaver, allowed them to meet once a year - only on the seventh day of the seventh month. On this day, magpies with their bodies form a bridge between lovers so that they can meet.
If you look at the cloudless sky on a bright summer night, you can see thousands of stars in the firmament, and two stars will stand out especially among them - they are separated by the "milky river" and are called "Shepherd" and "Weaver" ...
Qisi Day Traditions.
In the old days, noisy fairs were held on this day, where all kinds of gifts and attributes for the Qixijie holiday were sold. Then Qixi was one of the most anticipated holidays by all. Later, they began to treat this day more scornfully and indifferently, in cities many customs and traditions were forgotten or completely disappeared. Only some of the traditions of this holiday have survived in remote villages. However, not everything is so sad, since in recent years the holiday has begun to gain popularity again, especially among young people.
On this day, girls cut figurines from melon crusts, hang up notes written on multi-colored pieces of paper, and also make romantic wishes. On this day, everyone can make wishes, but each person is supposed to make only one wish a year. Some, especially bright fans of the holiday, decorate their homes and courtyards with colorful garlands, lanterns and other romantic attributes of this holiday.
When the star Vega rises high, the girls begin fortune-telling about their husband: it is believed that if you put the needle on the surface of the water and it does not drown, then the girl will soon get married (in other versions of this fortune-telling, the girl will have to reveal her hidden talent as a weaver). Another girl's fortune-telling is that if you thread a colored thread through the ears of seven sewing needles, then this girl will definitely be lucky with her husband.
Some girls in the deep night retire in a quiet place to listen to the "whispers of the sky", which on this day, as if by magic, is formed by the magpies who have flown from everywhere. They say that girls who hear whispers are rewarded with strong love for life. Other young women and girls prefer to perform the "qiqiao" rite - a rite of petition for the gift of skill. At the same time, they make offerings of fresh flowers, fruits, powder or tea for the heavenly Weaver, and in the moonlight they turn to her with a request to grant them craftsmanship, to bring them love and happiness.
This is, perhaps, all the most interesting and romantic that has come down to us about the Chinese holiday of lovers, Qixi.
The Qixijie holiday in China can be called an analogue of the European Valentine's Day.
According to the lunar calendar, the romantic holiday of lovers of Qixijie falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, according to the Gregorian - on the month of August.
Qixijie holiday date
in 2016 - August 9
in 2017 - August 28
in 2018 - August 17
in 2019 - August 7
in 2020 - August 25
History of Qixijie Festival
What are the features of this holiday? Romantic parable This day is based on the parable of the tragic love of a young shepherd and a heavenly fairy. Thousands of stars light up in the sky tonight, of which the brightest "Shepherd" and "Weaver", which are separated from each other by the Milky Way. According to legend, the poor shepherd Nyulan fell in love with the fairy Jinya. Despite the barriers, the young got married, and they had two beautiful children.
Angry, Heavenly Lady Wangma separated the young. Grieving, Nyulan and the children, wrapped in the skin of their beloved ox, flew into the sky for their beloved, but Wangma intervened again, tracing the Silver River (Milky Way) in the sky with a hairpin. Because of this, the lovers could not unite. Seeing how the young are suffering, the birds decide to help them. A flock of forty, having gathered together, formed a bridge on which lovers can meet once a year. Taking pity, Wangma went to meet Nyulan and Jin.
Features of the celebration of Valentine's Day in China
On this day, it is customary to decorate courtyards with garlands, lanterns and flowers. Young people give each other symbolic gifts. Fairs are held on the streets, decorations and gifts are sold in honor of the holiday. The most valuable gift used to be the exchange of bamboo letters. The young people declared their love through letters. They also gave each other silk, cross-stitched personalized kerchiefs. In the evening, young girls are preparing to make an offering to the table. Served with fruits, various flour sweets and Chinese "qiaoso" halva, tea, nuts and powder. It is given to young girls to find beauty. At the same time, the fair sex worship heaven seven times and turn with prayer to the Heavenly Weaver in order to adopt the skill of the weaving craft, which brings love and happiness.
Also that night they were guessing. For example, they took a needle for embroidery and threw it into the water, if the needle floats up, then the girl is talented and ready for marriage. They also took colored threads and threaded them through seven needles. If the girl coped with the task, then she will be happy in the future. The most interesting event was when the young people tried to hear Jinyu and Nyulan's whispers. It was believed that whoever hears will be happy in marriage and gain unearthly love. The Chinese are trying to preserve the primordially ancient traditions of this holiday, since it is based on the combination of two principles and the birth of a new family.
One of the country's traditional holidays, Qi Xi, is held annually in China. This is one of the most romantic holidays, which is celebrated on the seventh month of the seventh day (according to the lunar calendar) in the evening. Therefore, this holiday is also called the Festival of the Double Seven.
Qi Xi is closely related to the story of the Weaver and the Shepherd, namely their touching love story. In ancient times, when the Song and Yuan dynasties were in power, lavish celebrations and noisy fairs were held in the capital on this day. In ancient China, Qi Xi was one of the most beloved holidays.
Today this holiday has already lost its former flavor, which is partially preserved only in the villages. Recently, Qi Xi has become especially popular with urban youth, who have begun to celebrate it as Valentine's Day.
On the days of the holiday, girls are wondering about their future husband. This element of the holiday echoes our holiday of Ivan Kupala, when girls throw wreaths over the water.
Holidays and events in China 2019: the most important festivals and vibrant events, national holidays and events in China. Photos and videos, descriptions, reviews and time of the event.
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- June 7, 2019 Dragon boat festival
During the Dragon Boat Festival, the rivers of China are filled with colorful dragon-styled boats. They have everything from scary muzzles to scaly tails. The boat races are truly breathtaking, although tragedy lies at the origin of the festival.
- 12 August 2019 King Pangu Festival
- 4 november 2019 Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong
- 11 november 2019 Singles Day in China
- December 8, 2019 Changchun Snow Sculpture Festival
- 31 december 2019 New Year in Hong Kong
- 31 december 2019 New Year in Hainan
- 15 - 21 January 2020 Guangzhou Temple Fair
- 11 - 13 February 2020 Boluo Temple Festival
- 14 february 2020 Chinese valentines day
- 03 March 2020 Shavan carnival
- 20 - 25 April 2020 Dragon festival
The Chinese with light, noise and red ornaments scare away the ancient monster Nian. The defeat of the monster symbolizes the coming of the new year.
International Women's Day in China is also passing unnoticed, all attention is focused on Tree Planting Day - on this day, March 12, plants are massively planted, paying tribute to the memory of the revolutionary Sun Yat-sen. No less interesting is Qing Ming, a holiday of purity and clarity, with walks in the first greenery and respectful visits to the graves of the dead.
In mid-April, an international kite festival is held, which is not inferior in color and scale to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. For a long time, the Chinese have worshiped these wise, noble and merciful creatures.
In mid-April, an international kite festival is held in China, which is not inferior in color and scale to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
May holidays, rather, are perceived as an excuse to relax - and in China, on May 1, they rest for 7 days - and get together with friends. On the same days, they celebrate the feast of the Heavenly Empress Matsu and the Day of the Youth of China. Mother's Day traditionally falls on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day falls on the third Sunday in June.
The summer period opens with one of the most significant traditional holidays - the Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated in China on a grand scale, for 3 days. The grateful Celebration of heaven towards the end of summer is replaced by the most romantic holiday - Valentine's Day, otherwise the Day of the Double Seven, the most appropriate time for fortune-telling on the betrothed.
Another tribute to European traditions - Teacher's Day, September 10 - also symbolizes the country's desire to raise the intellectual level of youth. And again, the attention of all residents and guests of China turns to traditions - the Moon and Harvest Festival is coming. On September 28, the Chinese honor the memory of the ancient philosopher Confucius, who had a tremendous impact on the worldview of civilization as a whole.
The most important national holiday - the Day of the People's Republic of China - falls on October 1.
New traditions are also not alien to China - for several years, November 8 has been the Day of Journalists. And one of the happiest is the day of the winter solstice, December 22, when the memory of ancestors is honored and traditional food is prepared.