Why is the Qixi Festival called the Qiqiao Festival? The origin and customs of the Qixi Festival

The Chinese Valentine's Day has a long history in my country. It originated in ancient times, became popular in the Western Han Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. In the thousands of years of history, many customs have been formed. The Chinese Valentine's Day is also a yearning for people's beautiful wishes for life, which is very romantic. So why is the Chinese Valentine's Day called the Qiqiao Festival? Do you want to know more?

Contents of this article

1. Why is the Qixi Festival called the Qiqiao Festival?

2. The Origin and Customs of the Qixi Festival

3. What food to eat on Chinese Valentine's Day

Why is the Qixi Festival called the Qiqiao Festival?

The Qixi Festival is also called the Qiqiao Festival because in ancient times, this day was the birthday of the Seventh Sister, and begging for skills was one of the important customs of the Seventh Sister’s birthday, so it is also called the Qiqiao Festival. According to legend, on the Seventh Sister’s birthday, ancient women worshiped the Seventh Sister and prayed for her to teach them exquisite craftsmanship and make their minds smarter, which also represents people’s yearning and pursuit for a better life.

In addition to the Qiqiao Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day is also known as the Seven Sisters Festival, the Daughters' Festival, the Seven Niangs Festival, etc. It is one of my country's traditional folk festivals. It originated from the worship of natural stars. Later, people gave the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl a legendary color, and formed a beautiful love story in the course of history. The Chinese Valentine's Day has been passed down and has become China's Valentine's Day today.

The Chinese Valentine's Day has a long history in my country. It originated in ancient times, became popular in the Western Han Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. Over thousands of years of history, many customs have been formed, but some have disappeared while others have continued.

The spread of Qixi Festival

The Qixi Festival originated in China, but in some Asian countries influenced by Chinese culture, such as Japan, Vietnam, North Korea, etc., there is also a tradition of celebrating the Qixi Festival, but there are certain differences in the time.

The Origin and Customs of the Qixi Festival

There are many theories about the origin of the Qixi Festival, among which the most popular theories are the worship of natural celestial phenomena, the worship of time numbers, and the birth of the Seventh Sister. It is said that the Seventh Sister is the Weaver Girl, the patron saint of the textile industry and love. Worshiping the Seventh Sister is a way of praying for blessings and beautiful love, and is also one of the traditional customs of the Qixi Festival. In addition, there are also customs such as the Seven-Crafts Tribute Case, nail dyeing, and stargazing on the Qixi Festival.

In ancient my country, people began to explore the mysteries of the universe very early, and also developed a complete stargazing system. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are one of the more famous examples. After the development of history, they were endowed with the beautiful love legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, which was widely circulated among the people, forming various customs about the Chinese Valentine's Day.

The Seventh Sister's Birthday was first celebrated in the Han Dynasty. It is said to be the birthday of the Seventh Sister. In folk culture, people regard the Seventh Sister as the patron saint of lovers, women and children. On this day, young girls and young women will set up tables under the moon, put seasonal fruits on them, worship the Seventh Sister, and pray that the Seventh Sister can give them dexterous hands and intelligent minds.

Customs of the Qixi Festival

In southwestern my country, there is a custom of dyeing nails during the Chinese Valentine's Day. In rural Zhejiang, it is popular to collect brine in a washbasin on this day. According to legend, the dew on the Chinese Valentine's Day is the tears of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Collecting the brine and smearing it on the eyes and hands can make people's eyesight and hands quick. In addition, there are other customs such as competing for ingenuity, threading a needle to beg for dexterity, and stargazing on the Chinese Valentine's Day.

What to eat on Chinese Valentine's Day

The full name of Qiaoguo is Qiqiaoguozi. Qixi Festival is also called Qiqiao Festival. It is a solar term when women hope to become more capable. Therefore, on this day, it is a tradition to eat Qiqiaoguozi.

The main ingredients of Qiqiao Fruit are flour and sesame. The production method is to wrap sesame seeds in flour and mix them together, fry them, and then serve them on a plate. You can also give your own Qiqiao Fruit to your relatives and friends on the Chinese Valentine's Day.

There is a tradition of eating Qiaoya bean sprouts during the Chinese Valentine's Day. The bean sprouts for making Qiaoya need to be germinated a week in advance. Then when the bean sprouts grow to 2 or 3 centimeters, they can be rolled into noodles, put into a pot and cook. Add seasonings and cover with mung bean sprouts before serving.

Qiaosu, commonly known as Qiaoren, is made of crispy candy in the image of a woman. When it is sold, people will say that they are "giving away cleverness" or "giving away a clever person", implying that the woman is becoming more and more capable. There are also Qiaosu made in the shape of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, implying a happy love. It is very pleasing and suitable for eating during the Chinese Valentine's Day.

During the Chinese Valentine's Day, people need to worship the Weaver Girl and place some offerings. The offerings are the five seeds, which include longan, hazelnut, peanut, melon seeds and red dates.

After burning incense and praying, these offerings become snacks and midnight snacks. After eating, the wishes prayed to by the Weaver Girl will be fulfilled.