What's the difference between traditional Valentine's Day in China and the West?

February 14 is Valentine's Day in the west. Some young people who are keen on "foreign" festivals are eager to move, clamoring to make a big splash and make a big fuss on Valentine's Day.

So keen on western Valentine's Day, I wonder how much they know about the ins and outs of western Valentine's Day? I asked the young people around me who are keen on Western Valentine's Day, but none of them could explain clearly. If I ask China about Valentine's Day on Qixi, I can answer the story that it originated from "the young man and the weaver girl". Obviously, these people who are keen on "foreign festivals" are blind. They think that "the moon in foreign countries is rounder than that in China". In their view, being able to celebrate the "foreign" festival means that you are out of the "local" flavor, that you have reached a higher level in culture, that you are better than others in emotional appeal and interest, and that you are in line with the world. What a wasted hall!

In fact, China's Valentine's Day is far superior to Western Valentine's Day in terms of time, cultural connotation and romance. Here, the author might as well make a simple comparison between Chinese and western Valentine's Day, so that young people who are keen on "foreign" festivals can clear their heads.

Western Valentine's Day is also called Saint Valentine's Day and Faun's Day. There are different opinions about the origin of this festival (comment: a festival with different opinions is so attractive to young people. I wonder what its commemorative significance is. )。 Because in the history of Christian martyrdom, there are three martyrs named Valentine. There is a saying that there was a Christian named Valentine in the Roman Empire who was put in prison because he took the lead in resisting the cruelty of the rulers to Christians. In prison, he was taken care of by the warden's daughter, and they were deeply in love. On February 14, 270 AD, Valentine was sentenced to death. Before his execution, he wrote a letter to his lover, which expressed his eternal love for him. Another view is that Valentine refers to a bishop in the third century A.D.. At that time, the Roman emperor thought that married men were unwilling to leave their wives and children to serve as soldiers, and even if they went to war, they would not become excellent soldiers, so he issued an order prohibiting men from marrying. Valentine was imprisoned for disobeying the ban and secretly marrying young men and women. He died in prison on February 27th1. On this basis, Valentine is an outlaw, and it is meaningless to commemorate him.

At first, the activities to commemorate Valentine were held only by young folk men and women. After the emergence of Christianity, the status of the church has become increasingly prominent, but they have been indifferent to such activities. As the commemoration became more and more grand, church leaders had to admit it in the seventh century and officially named it "St. Valentine's Day".

China's Qixi Valentine's Day originated from the well-known myth and legend of "Cowherd and Weaver Girl" in China. The myth of "Cowherd and Weaver Girl" is one of the four legendary stories in ancient China (the other three are Meng Jiangnv, Legend of the White Snake, Legend of the Water Margin and Zhu Yingtai). Although there are many versions, the stories are all based on the sincere and romantic love of the cowherd and the weaver girl (I won't say much about the degree of sincerity and romance), especially the male farmer and the weaver girl, and their family life is happy. With such psychological factors in it, it is natural for Qixi to turn into a festival.

The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid was first recorded in the Fu of Two Cities by Ban Gu (32-92), a literary historian in the Eastern Han Dynasty, which wrote: "There is no end to the pool in Kunming, with the Cowherd on the left and the Weaver Maid on the right." This shows that in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty or earlier, some people attached themselves to myths and legends and used Kunming Lake instead of Tianhe to create stone statues of cowherd and weaver girl on both sides of Chi Pan in Kunming. Because the attached image must be based on the legend widely circulated among the people, what's more, in ancient times when traffic information was underdeveloped, its spread speed can be imagined. It takes a long time from the statue to the written record. Therefore, folklore experts have verified that the legend of "Cowherd and Weaver Girl" probably originated from the period from the Western Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty.

It is impossible to confirm when the legend evolved into a festival, but according to the existing historical data, the earliest record of the grand occasion of ancient Qixi Valentine's Day was Ge Hong's Xijing Miscellanies in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. There is a record in the book about the custom of begging for cleverness on Qixi: "Women in the Han Dynasty often wear seven-hole needles in the building on July 7, and everyone is in xi." It can be concluded that legends evolved into festivals in the Han Dynasty. In later Tang poetry and Song poetry, women's begging for cleverness on Valentine's Day was repeatedly mentioned. Wang Jianyou of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem: "The stars are decorated with pearls, and Gong E is busy on Qixi." According to "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao", every time Emperor Taizong and his concubines held a banquet in the Qing Palace on Tanabata, the ladies-in-waiting begged with their own ingenuity. This custom is also very popular among the people.

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Qiaqiao was quite grand, and there was also a market in Beijing that monopolized Qiaqiao goods, which was called Qiaqiao City by the world. Song He's series "Talking about Drunken Weng" said: "Tanabata, the property is a gimmick. From July 1 ST, horses and chariots were swallowed, and three days before Chinese Valentine's Day, horses and chariots were not allowed to pass, and they stopped driving again and again until the night. " Here, you can infer the lively scene of Valentine's Day on Tanabata at that time by buying wonderful things in Qiaoqi City. People began to put Qiao Qi goods on the first day of July, and the Qiao Qi market was crowded with people and traffic. By Tanabata, the Qiao Qi market has become a sea of people, and it is difficult for cars and horses to travel. Even nobles can only walk. Looking at its customs, it seems to be no less than the biggest festival-the Spring Festival, which shows that Valentine's Day is one of the favorite festivals of the ancients.

From this point of view, Valentine's Day in China is nearly 200 years earlier than Valentine's Day in the West, and it has evolved into a festival more than 300 years earlier, and its romantic degree is unmatched by Valentine's Day in the West.

There are many activities to celebrate Valentine's Day in China, such as worshipping the Weaver Maid, playing with needles, floating needles and making alliances under the moon. Some people may say that these festivals and customs are not suitable for today's society. I said it's more interesting to ponder over ancient customs. The more national things are, the more vital they are. Moreover, custom-saving activities do not rule out keeping pace with the times. From the origin of Western Valentine's Day to the rules of the church, why have there been dances, outings, romances and so on? Aren't they all raised by future generations These activities can still be carried out on Valentine's Day in China, which is more suitable in season.

Traditional festivals have a long history, and the ancestors' culture is profound and profound, with extremely rich connotations. Looking forward to the younger generation to explore, inherit and carry forward.