About Chinese Valentine’s Day customs

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qixi Festival of the Han people in my country. The content of the festival activities is mainly about begging for skillful things, so people call this day "Begging for Skillful Skills Festival" or "Girls' Day" or "Daughter's Day". The Chinese Valentine's Day is the most romantic festival among our country's traditional festivals, and it was also the day that girls valued most in the past. On this night, women sewed needles and begged for skills, prayed for good fortune and longevity, and worshiped the Seventh Sister. The ceremony was pious and solemn, with flowers, fruits, and red flowers on display, and all kinds of furniture and utensils were exquisite, small, and attractive. On May 20, 2006, the Chinese Valentine's Day was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list by the State Council. Now it is considered as "Chinese Valentine's Day".

The customs of Qixi Festival are:

1 Threading a needle to beg for skillful things

This is the earliest way of begging for skillful skills, which started in the Han Dynasty and spread to later generations. "Miscellaneous Notes of Xijing" says: "The colorful girls of the Han Dynasty often pierced the seven-hole needle in the Kaijin Tower on July 7th, and people practiced it." Liang Zongmou of the Southern Dynasties, "Jingchu Years' Notes" said: "July 7th is the evening The women of the Qi Dynasty used gold and silver stones as needles to thread the needles through seven holes. "Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties" "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" said: "On Qixi Festival, the palace is built with brocade, a hundred feet high, which can accommodate dozens of people. Melons and fruits are burned with wine, and seats are set up to worship the cow girl. Two stars, each with a nine-hole needle and five colored threads, are pierced towards the moon. The one who passes by will be a lucky prince, and the music of the Qing Dynasty will be played, and the feast will be celebrated. "Yuan Tao Zongyi's "Yeting Lu". " said: "Jiuyin Terrace is a place for begging for luck on Chinese Valentine's Day. On the evening of the evening, the palace maids go on the stage and thread the nine-tailed needle with colorful silk. Those who finish it first are said to have gained luck, and those who finish it late are said to have lost luck. Each of them contributes money to give to the one who gets luck."

2 Happy spiders should beg for skills

This is also an earlier way of begging for skills. Its custom is slightly later than threading a needle to beg for skills, and it roughly started in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Liang Zongmao of the Southern Dynasty said in "The Chronicles of Jingchu Years": "It was evening, and melons and fruits were laid out in the courtyard to beg for luck. If there were happy nets on the melons, they would be lucky." Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties said in "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao": "July 7 Each one catches spiders in small boxes until they open at dawn; if the spider webs are dense, they will be clever. Those who are secret will be clever, and those who are sparse will be clever. This is also the case among the people. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, "put a small spider inside the egg and look at it the next day. If the web is round, it is called a coincidence." Song Zhoumi's "Qian Chun Sui Sui Ji" said: "Put the small spider inside and wait for the web to be built. "How long does it take to get a coincidence by how dense it is?" Ming Tian Rucheng said in "The Joy of Xi Chao" that on Chinese Valentine's Day, "Put a spider in a small box, and watch the density of its web the next morning to see how much it is." This shows that the method of testing cleverness in the past dynasties. Differently, the Southern and Northern Dynasties looked at the presence or absence of the net, the Tang Dynasty looked at the denseness of the net, and the Song Dynasty looked at the roundness of the net. Later generations mostly followed the customs of the Tang Dynasty.

3 Throwing a Needle to Test Skills

This is a variant of the Chinese Valentine's Day custom of needlework and begging for skills. It originated from needlework but is different from needlework. It was a popular Chinese Valentine's Day custom in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Customs. Liu Tong and Yu Yizheng of the Ming Dynasty wrote in their "Scenery of the Imperial Capital": "On the afternoon of July 7th, a skillful needle was thrown. A woman was exposed to a lot of water in the middle of the day, and after a while, the water film formed on her face. When the embroidery needle was thrown into it, it floated, and she looked at the bottom of the water. "Needle shadow. If there are shadows of clouds, flowers, heads, birds and beasts, or shadows of shoes and scissors, it is called begging for skill. The shadow is as thick as a hammer, as thin as silk, and as straight as a shaft of wax." " "Zhili Zhishu" also says that in Liangxiang County (today's southwest of Beijing), "On July 7, women beg for skills, throw needles into the water, use the shadow of the sun to check their workmanship, and at night they are still begging for skills from the Weaver Girl." Please refer to Yu Minzhong's " "Rixia Jiuwen Kao" quoted "Wanshu Miscellaneous Notes" as saying: "On July 7th, the women of Yandu poured bowls of water into the sun, each dropped a small needle to float on the water surface, and slowly looked at the shadow of the sun on the bottom of the water. Some were scattered like flowers, or moved like clouds, It is as thin as a thread and as thick as a cone, because it is used to divine women’s skills. ”

The old custom is to apply it on a small wooden board a few days before the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Sow corn seeds on a layer of soil and let them grow green seedlings. Then put some small huts, flowers and trees on it to make it look like a small village in a farmhouse. It is called a "shell board", or mung beans, adzuki beans, The wheat is soaked in a magnetic bowl, and when it grows enough buds, it is tied into a bundle with red and blue silk ropes, which is called "seed-growing", also called "five-life pot" or "flower-flower pot". It is also called "Paoqiao" in various parts of the south, and the bean sprouts that grow are called Qiaoya. They even replace the needles with Qiaoya and throw them on the water to beg for Qiao.

Various figures are also made of wax, such as the characters in the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, or the shapes of vultures, mandarin ducks, and other animals, and placed on the water to float, which is called "floating on water." There are also wax baby dolls that women buy and float at home, thinking they are auspicious for having a child, and they are called "huasheng".

5 Worship "Mohele"

Mohele is a children's plaything during the Chinese Valentine's Day in the old days. It is a small clay doll. Its image is mostly a half-armed lotus leaf dress. Holding lotus leaf. Every year on July 7th, in Kaifeng's "Panlou Street, the tiles outside Dongsong Gate, the tiles outside Zhouxiliang Gate, the North Gate, South Zhuquemen Street and Maxing Street all sell grinding and drinking music. Small plastic clay ears." In fact, the grinding music made later in the Song Dynasty is no longer a small clay doll. On the contrary, it has become more and more refined. The size and posture of Mohele vary. The largest one is as high as three feet, which is as high as a real child. The materials used include ivory carvings or dragon and bergamot incense carvings. The decorations of Mohele are even more exquisite. Some use painted wood carvings as railings, or use red sand and green cages as covers. , the toys in their hands are mostly decorated with gold, jade and precious stones, and a pair of toys often cost thousands of dollars. Kesi Qixi Festival Scroll of Begging for Skills

6. Worshiping the Weaver Girl

"Worshiping the Weaver Girl" is purely a matter for girls and young women. Most of them make appointments with their friends or neighbors in advance for five or six people, or as many as ten people, to hold the event jointly. The ceremony is to set up a table under the moonlight, with tea, wine, fruits, five seeds (longans, red dates, hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds) and other sacrifices on the table; there are also a few flowers, tied with red paper, and placed in bottles. , a small incense burner is placed in front of the flowers. Then, make an appointment for the young women and girls who are going to worship Weaver Girl to fast for a day, take a bath, and come to the host's house on time. After burning incense in front of the desk and worshiping, everyone sits around the table, eating peanuts, melon seeds, and Looking towards the constellation of the Vega, silently reflect on your thoughts. For example, if girls want to be beautiful or marry a good man, and if young women want to have a baby early, they can pray silently to Vega. Play until midnight and then break up.

7 Worship Kuixing

According to popular legend, July 7th is Kuixing’s birthday. Kuixing is an important figure in literary affairs. Scholars who want to gain fame especially respect Kuixing, so they must worship Kuixing on the Chinese Valentine's Day and pray for him to bless them with good luck in examinations. Kuixing Ye is Kuiduxing. Kuixing in the Twenty-Eight Constellations is the first star of the Big Dipper, and it is also the Kuixing or the leader. In ancient times, when scholars were ranked number one, they were called "Dakui Tianxiashi" or "won the first place in one fell swoop" because Kuixing was in charge of examination luck. According to folklore, Lord Kuixing was very ugly, with spots on his face and a lameness. Someone wrote a limerick to make fun of him: If you don't show it, what's the use of decorating it with lead? Even if it's lead, don't cover it up. Marrying Magu makes two beauties, and the results of the hive are perfect. There are claws below the eyebrows, and geese are treading on the sand beside the mouth and nose. Don't be tempted to take a nap in front of the eaves, while the wind blows plum blossoms from your forehead. Xiangjun's jade toe is the most bizarre, one step up and one step down. The body feels like dancing when the movements are moving, and the movements are as fluttering as the mouth. Just because the road in this world is full of dangers, I am so tired that all my beauty is gone. Moxiao's waist branches are often half-folded, and sometimes they sway in various ways. However, this Mr. Kuixing was very ambitious and worked hard, and he even passed high school. During the emperor's palace examination, he was asked why his face was covered with spots, and he replied: "The pockmarked face is full of stars." When asked why his feet were lame, he replied: "One-legged jump from the Dragon Gate." The emperor was very satisfied and admitted him. Another completely different legend says that although Master Kuixing was full of knowledge during his lifetime, he failed every exam, so he committed suicide by drowning himself in the river in grief and anger. Unexpectedly, he was rescued by a turtle and ascended to heaven to become the Kuixing. Because Kuixing can influence the scholar's luck in examinations, every July 7th, his birthday, scholars solemnly worship him.

8 Showing books and clothes

According to reports, Sima Yi was quite jealous of Cao Cao because of his high position and power. In view of the political darkness at that time, in order to protect himself, Sima Yi Pretending to be crazy and hiding at home. Emperor Wu of Wei was still not at ease, so he sent a confidant named Ling Shi to secretly investigate the truth. It was July 7th, and Sima Yi, who was pretending to be crazy, was also posting books at home. He ordered Shi to go back and report to Emperor Wu of Wei. Emperor Wu of Wei immediately ordered Sima Yi to return to the court to serve, otherwise he would be imprisoned. Sima Yi just obeyed the order and returned to the court. There is another kind of person who, in troubled times, expresses his depression by being dissolute. They despise etiquette and oppose current customs.

Volume 25 of Liu Yiqing's Shishuoxinyu says that on July 7, everyone was posting books, but only Hao Long ran to lie down in the sun. When people asked him why, he replied: "I post books." On the one hand, this is to despise the custom of posting books, and on the other hand, it is to show off one's inner talents. Showing your belly means showing your books. The custom of drying clothes in the Han Dynasty created opportunities for wealthy families to show off their wealth during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Ruan Xian, one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove", looked down upon this style of work. On July 7, when his neighbor was drying his clothes, he saw that the shelves were full of Lingluo silk and satin, which was dazzling. Ruan Xian calmly picked up a shabby piece of clothing with a bamboo pole. When someone asked him what he was doing, he said: "I can't escape from the vulgarity, let's talk about it!" Judging from these few stories, we know that the Chinese Valentine's Day was the time to post books. , How old is the custom of drying clothes.

9 Celebrate the Cow’s Birthday

Children will pick wild flowers and hang them on the horns of the Cow on Chinese Valentine’s Day, which is also called “Celebrating the Cow’s Birthday”. Because it is said that after the Queen Mother of the West separated the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl with the Tianhe River, in order to allow the Cowherd to cross the Tianhe River to see the Weaver Girl, the old cow asked the Cowherd to peel off its skin and drive its cowhide to see the Weaver Girl. In order to commemorate the sacrifice spirit of the old cow, people have the custom of "celebrating the cow's birthday"

Eating Qiaoguo

Qiaoguo is the most famous food for the Chinese Valentine's Day. Qiaoguo, also known as "Qiaoguo", comes in many styles. The main ingredient Qiaoguo

is oily molasses. In "Tokyo Menghua Lu", they are "laughing tired children" and "fruit eating patterns", and the patterns include Na Xiang, Fang Sheng, etc. During the Song Dynasty, Qixi Qiaoguo was already sold on the streets. If you buy a pound of Qiaoguo, there will also be a pair of them wearing battle armor, such as door god dolls, known as the "Fruit Eater Generals". The method of making Qiaoguo is: first put the sugar in a pot and melt it into syrup, then add flour and sesame seeds, mix well and spread it out on the table to thin, let it cool and then cut it into long cubes with a knife, and fold it into a spindle shape. Dough-fry the dough until golden brown. Women with skillful hands can also shape various patterns related to the legend of the Chinese Valentine's Day. In addition, the fruits used in begging can also be varied. Or carve the melons and fruits into exotic flowers and birds, or emboss patterns on the surface of the melon skin. Called "Huagua", Qiaoguo and Huagua are the most common Chinese Valentine's Day foods. In history, each dynasty had different food customs. For example, it was popular in the Wei Dynasty to serve soup cakes on July 7th. The festival foods of the Tang Dynasty included cutting cakes on July 7th, and designated July 7th as the book-drying festival. Three provinces and six ministries or less would each be given a certain amount of gold to prepare for the banquet, which was called the "book-drying party". Chinese Valentine's Day is also a suitable day for dispensing medicine. It is said that there is a secret recipe using pine and cypress as medicinal materials. This magical pill is made from the dew on July 7th. Taking one pill can extend your life by ten years, and taking two pills can extend your life by twenty years. In addition, there are also pine nuts, cypress seeds, lotus leaves, etc., all of which are called elixirs of immortality. The more practical prescriptions include sun-dried sophora japonica juice to treat hemorrhoids, decoction of bitter melon to treat eyes, plucking melon stems to treat diarrhea, and so on. Only those who have tried it will know how effective it is. Nowadays, in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and other places in Zhejiang, on the Chinese Valentine's Day, people will make various small items with flour, fry them in oil pans and call them "Qiaoguo". In the evening, Qiaoguo, lotus root, white lotus root, red water chestnut, etc. are placed in the clean courtyard, and relatives and friends at home sit together.