Valentine's Day in China. Interesting things on the web

The romantic holiday of lovers, Qixie, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month according to the lunar calendar, and on the month of August according to the Gregorian calendar.

Qixijie Festival date

  • in 2016 - August 9
  • in 2017 - August 28
  • in 2018 - August 17
  • in 2019 - August 7
  • in 2020 - August 25

History of the 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. This night, thousands of stars light up in the sky, of which the brightest are “The Shepherd” and “The Weaver,” which are separated from each other by the Milky Way. According to legend, the poor shepherd Niulan fell in love with the fairy Zhinyu. Despite the obstacles, the young couple got married and had two beautiful children.

Angry, the heavenly lady Vanma separated the young people. Having grieved, Nyulan and the children wrapped themselves in the skin of their beloved ox and flew into the sky after their beloved, but Vanma intervened again, drawing the Silver River (Milky Way) in the sky with a hairpin. Because of this, the lovers were unable to unite. Seeing how the young ones are suffering, the birds decide to help them. A flock of magpies flocked together to form a bridge where lovers could meet once a year. Taking pity, Vanma went to meet Niulan and Zhin.

Features of celebrating Valentine's Day in China

On this day, it is customary to decorate yards 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-embroidered handkerchiefs. In the evening, young girls prepare to make a presentation to the table. Fruits, various flour sweets and Chinese halva “qiaoso”, tea, nuts and powder are served. It is given to young girls to gain beauty. At the same time, representatives of the fair sex worship the heavens seven times and turn with prayer to the Heavenly Weaver in order to learn the skill of weaving, which brings love and happiness.

They also told fortunes that night. For example, they took an embroidery needle 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 a girl completed the task, it means she will be happy in the future. The most interesting event was when young people tried to hear the whispers of Zhinyu and Niulan. It was believed that whoever hears it will be happy in marriage and find unearthly love. The Chinese try to preserve the age-old traditions of this holiday, since it is based on the union of two principles and the birth of a new family.

Every year, China hosts one of the country's traditional holidays - Qi Xi. 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 Double Seven Festival.

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, magnificent celebrations were held in the capital on this day, as well as noisy fairs. 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 among urban youth, who began to celebrate it as Valentine's Day.

On holidays, girls tell fortunes about their future husband. This element of the holiday echoes our holiday of Ivan Kupala, when girls throw wreaths on the water.

Surprisingly, in the distant Celestial Empire, a relatively new romantic holiday for Europeans called Valentine's Day has been celebrated for many hundreds of years. The Qixie Festival, or Chinese "St. Valentine's Day" is also known as the "Night of Sevens" or "Magpie Festival" 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 20th. When Valentine's Day is celebrated in China in subsequent years, see the table below:

Mention of this holiday is found in historical chronicles of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 AD). The Chinese holiday Qixi is known both in Japan as Tanabata and in Korea as Chilsok. And in Vietnam this day is known as Rain Day. The history of its origin and the days of celebration in these countries coincide in many, if not all, ways. And the celebration began with an old touching legend about the tragic story of divided love, which has a real astronomical projection.

The Legend of the Heavenly Weaver and Shepherd.

This story is about how the lovers, with their careless behavior, angered the Goddess of Heaven (in different sources, the Emperor, the father or mother of a shepherd or a girl). She was angry that the lovers had completely neglected 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 use their bodies to 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 sky, and two stars will especially stand out among them - they are separated by a “milky river”, and are called “Shepherd” and “Weaver”...

Traditions of Qixi Day.

In the old days, noisy fairs were held on this day, where all kinds of gifts and attributes for the Qixie holiday were sold. Back then, Qixi was one of the most anticipated holidays by everyone. Later, people began to treat this day with more disdain and indifference; in cities, many customs and traditions were forgotten or completely disappeared. Only some traditions of this holiday have been preserved 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 out figures from melon peels, hang notes written on colorful 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 per year. Some especially ardent fans of the holiday decorate their homes and yards with colorful garlands, lanterns and other romantic attributes of this holiday.

When the star Vega rises high, the girls begin to tell fortunes about their husband: it is believed that if you put a needle on the surface of the water and it does not sink, it means that 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 eyes of seven sewing needles, then this girl will definitely be lucky with her husband.

Some girls retire to a quiet place in the dead of night to listen to the “whispers of the sky,” which on this day is formed as if by magic by magpies flying in from everywhere. They say that girls who hear the whispers are rewarded with strong love for life. Other young women and girls prefer to perform the “qiqiao” ritual - a ritual of petition for the gift of mastery. 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 mastery in the craft, bring them love and happiness.

This is, perhaps, all the most interesting and romantic that has come down to us about the Chinese Valentine's Day Qixi.

Holidays and events in China 2019: the most important festivals and highlights, national holidays and events in China. Photos and videos, descriptions, reviews and timings.

A country of ancient traditions, secrets and age-old wisdom, mysterious China attracts the attention of many tourists. And it’s not surprising - many things are unique here, including holidays. Lovers of European traditions are in for a cultural shock; it is not customary to celebrate the New Year here - only in large shopping centers can you see a decorated fir tree. No fireworks, no noisy feasts. And all because the Chinese New Year - also known as the Spring Festival - has long been celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice, mass festivities and fairs last for several days and end with the Lantern Festival - an analogue of St. Valentine's Day.

The Chinese use light, noise and red decorations to scare away the ancient monster Nian. The defeat of the monster symbolizes the coming of the new year.

International Women's Day in China also passes unnoticed, all attention is focused on Arbor Day - on this day, March 12, plants are planted en masse, paying tribute to the revolutionary Sun Yat-sen. No less interesting is Qing Ming, a holiday of purity and clarity, with walks through 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 revered these wise, noble and merciful creatures towards people.

In mid-April, China hosts an international kite festival, which is as colorful and large-scale as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

The May holidays are rather perceived as a reason to relax - and in China on May 1st they have a 7-day vacation - and to get together with friends. On these same days, the Feast of the Heavenly Empress Mazu and China's Youth Day are celebrated. Mother's Day traditionally falls on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day on the third Sunday in June.

The summer period opens with one of the most significant traditional holidays - the Dragon Boat Festival, which in China is celebrated on a grand scale for 3 days. The grateful Honoring of Heaven towards the end of summer is replaced by the most romantic holiday - Valentine's Day, otherwise Double Seven Day, the best time for fortune-telling for your 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 influence on the worldview of civilization as a whole.

The most important national holiday, the Founding Day of the People's Republic of China, falls on October 1.

New traditions are not alien to China - for several years now, November 8 has been celebrated as Journalist's Day. And one of the happiest days is the winter solstice, December 22, when the memory of ancestors is honored and traditional dishes are prepared.

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