The festival was derived from Chinese mythology. People celebrated for the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang,[3][5] who were the weaver girl and the cowherd, respectively. The tale of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han dynasty.[6] The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry.[7] The Qixi festival inspired the Tanabata festival in Japan, Chilseok festival in Korea, and Thất Tịch festival in Vietnam.
The festival has variously been called the Double Seventh Festival,[5] the Chinese Valentine's Day,[8] the Night of Sevens,[3][9] or the Magpie Festival.[10]
The popular tale is a love story between Zhinü (織女, the weaver girl, symbolizing Vega) and Niulang (牛郎, the cowherd, symbolizing Altair).[3] Niulang was often abused by his sister-in-law. They eventually kicked him out of the house, and gave him nothing but an old cow. One day, the old cow suddenly spoke out, telling Niulang that there would be fairies bathing in the spring nearby that night. The fairy would stay there if she failed to go back to heaven before morning. In accordance with what the old cow said, Niulang saw those beautiful fairies in the spring, and fell in love with one of the beautiful fairies who was the heavenly weaver. In order to make her stay, he took her clothes that helped her to go back to heaven; this made her an ordinary earth woman without any power. Then they got married and had two children. The Emperor of Heaven (玉皇大帝, lit.'The Jade Emperor') found out about this and was furious, so he sent minions to escort the heavenly weaver back to heaven. Niulang was heartbroken. The old cow suddenly spoke out again, telling Niulang he could take his skin to make it into a flying coat to chase after them; and Niulang did. However, the Queen Mother of the West drew a Silver River (The Milky Way) in the sky and blocked his way. Meanwhile, the love between Niulang and the weaver moved the magpie, and so they built a bridge of magpies over the Silver River for them to meet. The Emperor of Heaven was also moved by the sight, and allowed this couple to meet on the Magpie Bridge[11] once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. That was the origin of the Qixi Festival.[12]
Traditions
During the Han dynasty, the practices were conducted in accordance with formal ceremonial state rituals.[2] Over time, the festival activities also included customs that the common people partook in.[2]
Girls take part in worshipping the celestials (拜仙) during rituals.[4] They go to the local temple to pray to Zhinü for wisdom.[5] Paper items are usually burned as offerings.[13] Girls may recite traditional prayers for dexterity in needlework,[5][14] which symbolizes the traditional talents of a good spouse.[5] Divination could take place to determine the possible dexterity in needlework.[13] They make wishes for marrying someone who would be a good and loving husband.[3] During the festival, girls make a display of their domestic skills.[3] Traditionally, there would be contests amongst those who attempted to be the best in threading needles under low-light conditions, like the glow of an ember or of a half moon.[13] Today, girls sometimes gather toiletries in honour of the seven maidens.[13]
The festival also held an importance for newlywed couples.[4] Traditionally, they would worship the celestial couple for the last time and bid farewell to them (辭仙).[4] The celebration stood as a symbol for a happy marriage and showed that the married woman was treasured by her new family.[4]
On this day, the Chinese gaze up at the sky to look for Vega and Altair shining in the Milky Way, while Deneb, a third star, forms a symbolic bridge between the two stars.[6] It was said that if it rains on this day, it was caused by a river sweeping away the magpie bridge or that the rain is the tears of the separated couple.[15] Based on the legend of a flock of magpies forming a bridge to reunite the couple, a pair of magpies came to symbolize conjugal happiness and faithfulness.[16]
The eating customs of Qixi Festival vary from place to place, and are called eating Qiao food. The most famous traditional food people eat on Qixi Festival is Qiao Guo, which has a history of more than one thousand years since it became popular during the Song dynasty. The main ingredients are flour, oil and honey, sometimes adding sesame, peanuts, kernels, roses and other different ingredients. After mixing those ingredients, the people then deep-fry them. Beyond that, people would eat crunchy candy, refreshments and fruits together, expressing the people's pursuit of ingenuity, family health, and happy life wishes.
In some places people gather together and build a four meter long bridge (花橋) with big incense sticks and decorate them with colourful flowers. They burn the bridge at night and wish to bring happiness in life.[citation needed]
Due to the romance, elegance, and beautiful symbolic meaning of the festival, many pieces of literature, such as poems, popular songs and operas, have been written for this festival since the Zhou dynasty. Many describe the atmosphere of the festival or narrate related stories. This has left a valuable literary legacy which helps modern scholars better understand ancient Chinese customs, feelings, and opinions relating to the festival.
迢迢牽牛星 – 佚名（東漢） Far, Far Away, the Cowherd – Anonymous（Han dynasty)
迢迢牽牛星， Far, far away, the Cowherd, 皎皎河漢女。 Fair, fair, the Weaving Maid, 纖纖擢素手， Nimbly move her slender white finger, 札札弄機杼。 Click-clack goes her weaving-loom. 終日不成章， All day she weaves, yet her web is still not done. 泣涕零如雨。 And her tears fall like rain. 河漢清且淺， Clear and shallow the Milky Way, 相去復幾許？ They are not far apart! 盈盈一水間， But the stream brims always between. 脈脈不得語。 And, gazing at each other, they cannot speak.
銀燭秋光冷畫屏， A candle flame flickers against a dull painted screen on a cool autumn night, 輕羅小扇撲流螢。 She holds a small silk fan to flap away dashing fireflies. 天階夜色涼如水， Above her hang celestial bodies as frigid as deep water, 坐看牽牛織女星。 She sat there watching Altair of Aquila and Vega of Lyra pining for each other in the sky.
纖雲弄巧， Clouds float like works of art, 飛星傳恨， Stars shoot with grief at heart. 銀漢迢迢暗渡。 Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid. 金風玉露一相逢， When Autumn’s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade, 便勝却人間無數。 All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade. 柔情似水， Their tender love flows like a stream; 佳期如夢， Their happy date seems but a dream. 忍顧鶴橋歸路。 How can they bear a separate homeward way? 兩情若是久長時， If love between both sides can last for aye, 又豈在朝朝暮暮。 Why need they stay together night and day?
Ladies on the ‘Night of Sevens’ Pleading for Skills by Ding Guanpeng, 1748
Other
Interactive Google doodles have been launched since the 2009 Qixi Festival to mark the occasion.[18] The latest was launched for the 2022 Qixi Festival.[19]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qixi Festival.
Hard copy
Brown, Ju; Brown, John (2006). China, Japan, Korea: Culture and customs. North Charleston: BookSurge. ISBN1-4196-4893-4.
Kiang, Heng Chye (1999). Cities of aristocrats and bureaucrats: The development of medieval Chinese cityscapes. Singapore: Singapore University Press. ISBN9971-69-223-6.
Lai, Sufen Sophia (1999). "Father in Heaven, Mother in Hell: Gender politics in the creation and transformation of Mulian's mother". Presence and presentation: Women in the Chinese literati tradition. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN0-312-21054-X.
Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (2010). "The Double Seventh Festival". Religions of the world: A comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN978-1-59884-203-6.
Poon, Shuk-wah (2011). Negotiating religion in modern China: State and common people in Guangzhou, 1900–1937. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong. ISBN978-962-996-421-4.
Schomp, Virginia (2009). The ancient Chinese. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. ISBN978-0-7614-4216-5.
Stepanchuk, Carol; Wong, Charles (1991). Mooncakes and hungry ghosts: Festivals of China. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals. ISBN0-8351-2481-9.
Welch, Patricia Bjaaland (2008). Chinese art: A guide to motifs and visual imagery. North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN978-0-8048-3864-1.
Zhao, Rongguang (2015). A History of Food Culture in China. SCPG Publishing Corporation. ISBN978-1-938368-16-5.
Online
Ladies on the ‘Night of Sevens’ Pleading for Skills. Dublin: Chester Beatty Library.
qixi, festival, double, seventh, festival, redirects, here, other, festivals, double, seventh, festival, disambiguation, chinese, 七夕, also, known, qiqiao, festival, chinese, 七巧, chinese, festival, celebrating, annual, meeting, zhinü, niulang, chinese, mytholog. Double Seventh Festival redirects here For other festivals see Double Seventh Festival disambiguation The Qixi Festival Chinese 七夕 also known as the Qiqiao Festival Chinese 七巧 is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of Zhinu and Niulang in Chinese mythology 2 3 4 5 The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar 2 3 4 5 Qixi FestivalAlso calledQiqiao FestivalObserved byChineseTypeCultural AsianDate7th day of 7th monthon the Chinese lunisolar calendar2022 date4 AugustRelated toTanabata Japan Chilseok Korea QixiChinese七夕Literal meaning Evening of Sevens TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu Pinyinqixi qixiBopomofoㄑㄧ ㄒㄧ ㄑㄧ ㄒㄧˋGwoyeu Romatzyhchishi chishihWade Gilesch i1 hsi1 ch i1 hsi4IPA tɕʰi ɕi tɕʰi ɕi WuSuzhounesetshih zihYue CantoneseYale Romanizationchat jihkJyutpingcat1 zik6Southern MinTai lotshit sia hQiqiaoChinese乞巧Literal meaning beseeching craftsmanship TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinqǐqiǎoWuSuzhounesechih chiaeThe festival was derived from Chinese mythology People celebrated for the romantic legend of two lovers Zhinu and Niulang 3 5 who were the weaver girl and the cowherd respectively The tale of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han dynasty 6 The earliest known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry 7 The Qixi festival inspired the Tanabata festival in Japan Chilseok festival in Korea and Thất Tịch festival in Vietnam The festival has variously been called the Double Seventh Festival 5 the Chinese Valentine s Day 8 the Night of Sevens 3 9 or the Magpie Festival 10 Contents 1 Origin 2 Traditions 3 Literature 4 Gallery 5 Other 6 See also 7 References 8 BibliographyOrigin EditSee also The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl The popular tale is a love story between Zhinu 織女 the weaver girl symbolizing Vega and Niulang 牛郎 the cowherd symbolizing Altair 3 Niulang was often abused by his sister in law They eventually kicked him out of the house and gave him nothing but an old cow One day the old cow suddenly spoke out telling Niulang that there would be fairies bathing in the spring nearby that night The fairy would stay there if she failed to go back to heaven before morning In accordance with what the old cow said Niulang saw those beautiful fairies in the spring and fell in love with one of the beautiful fairies who was the heavenly weaver In order to make her stay he took her clothes that helped her to go back to heaven this made her an ordinary earth woman without any power Then they got married and had two children The Emperor of Heaven 玉皇大帝 lit The Jade Emperor found out about this and was furious so he sent minions to escort the heavenly weaver back to heaven Niulang was heartbroken The old cow suddenly spoke out again telling Niulang he could take his skin to make it into a flying coat to chase after them and Niulang did However the Queen Mother of the West drew a Silver River The Milky Way in the sky and blocked his way Meanwhile the love between Niulang and the weaver moved the magpie and so they built a bridge of magpies over the Silver River for them to meet The Emperor of Heaven was also moved by the sight and allowed this couple to meet on the Magpie Bridge 11 once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month That was the origin of the Qixi Festival 12 Traditions EditDuring the Han dynasty the practices were conducted in accordance with formal ceremonial state rituals 2 Over time the festival activities also included customs that the common people partook in 2 Girls take part in worshipping the celestials 拜仙 during rituals 4 They go to the local temple to pray to Zhinu for wisdom 5 Paper items are usually burned as offerings 13 Girls may recite traditional prayers for dexterity in needlework 5 14 which symbolizes the traditional talents of a good spouse 5 Divination could take place to determine the possible dexterity in needlework 13 They make wishes for marrying someone who would be a good and loving husband 3 During the festival girls make a display of their domestic skills 3 Traditionally there would be contests amongst those who attempted to be the best in threading needles under low light conditions like the glow of an ember or of a half moon 13 Today girls sometimes gather toiletries in honour of the seven maidens 13 The festival also held an importance for newlywed couples 4 Traditionally they would worship the celestial couple for the last time and bid farewell to them 辭仙 4 The celebration stood as a symbol for a happy marriage and showed that the married woman was treasured by her new family 4 On this day the Chinese gaze up at the sky to look for Vega and Altair shining in the Milky Way while Deneb a third star forms a symbolic bridge between the two stars 6 It was said that if it rains on this day it was caused by a river sweeping away the magpie bridge or that the rain is the tears of the separated couple 15 Based on the legend of a flock of magpies forming a bridge to reunite the couple a pair of magpies came to symbolize conjugal happiness and faithfulness 16 The eating customs of Qixi Festival vary from place to place and are called eating Qiao food The most famous traditional food people eat on Qixi Festival is Qiao Guo which has a history of more than one thousand years since it became popular during the Song dynasty The main ingredients are flour oil and honey sometimes adding sesame peanuts kernels roses and other different ingredients After mixing those ingredients the people then deep fry them Beyond that people would eat crunchy candy refreshments and fruits together expressing the people s pursuit of ingenuity family health and happy life wishes In some places people gather together and build a four meter long bridge 花橋 with big incense sticks and decorate them with colourful flowers They burn the bridge at night and wish to bring happiness in life citation needed Literature EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed August 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Due to the romance elegance and beautiful symbolic meaning of the festival many pieces of literature such as poems popular songs and operas have been written for this festival since the Zhou dynasty Many describe the atmosphere of the festival or narrate related stories This has left a valuable literary legacy which helps modern scholars better understand ancient Chinese customs feelings and opinions relating to the festival 迢迢牽牛星 佚名 東漢 Far Far Away the Cowherd Anonymous Han dynasty 迢迢牽牛星 Far far away the Cowherd 皎皎河漢女 Fair fair the Weaving Maid 纖纖擢素手 Nimbly move her slender white finger 札札弄機杼 Click clack goes her weaving loom 終日不成章 All day she weaves yet her web is still not done 泣涕零如雨 And her tears fall like rain 河漢清且淺 Clear and shallow the Milky Way 相去復幾許 They are not far apart 盈盈一水間 But the stream brims always between 脈脈不得語 And gazing at each other they cannot speak 翻譯 楊憲益 戴乃迭 Translated by Yang Xianyi Dai Naidie 秋夕 杜牧 唐朝 An Autumn Night Du Mu Tang dynasty 銀燭秋光冷畫屏 A candle flame flickers against a dull painted screen on a cool autumn night 輕羅小扇撲流螢 She holds a small silk fan to flap away dashing fireflies 天階夜色涼如水 Above her hang celestial bodies as frigid as deep water 坐看牽牛織女星 She sat there watching Altair of Aquila and Vega of Lyra pining for each other in the sky 翻譯 曾培慈 17 Translated by Betty Tseng 鵲橋仙 秦觀 宋朝 Immortals at the Magpie Bridge Qin Guan Song dynasty 纖雲弄巧 Clouds float like works of art 飛星傳恨 Stars shoot with grief at heart 銀漢迢迢暗渡 Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid 金風玉露一相逢 When Autumn s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade 便勝却人間無數 All the love scenes on earth however many fade 柔情似水 Their tender love flows like a stream 佳期如夢 Their happy date seems but a dream 忍顧鶴橋歸路 How can they bear a separate homeward way 兩情若是久長時 If love between both sides can last for aye 又豈在朝朝暮暮 Why need they stay together night and day 翻譯 許淵沖 Translated by Xu Yuanchong Gallery Edit Ladies on the Night of Sevens Pleading for Skills by Ding Guanpeng 1748Other EditInteractive Google doodles have been launched since the 2009 Qixi Festival to mark the occasion 18 The latest was launched for the 2022 Qixi Festival 19 See also EditQixi Tribute Seven Sisters Fruit Qingming Festival Shangsi Festival TanabataReferences Edit a b c d e Raitisoja Geni Story of Qixi Festival GBTIMES Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 Retrieved 16 August 2018 a b c d Zhao 2015 13 a b c d e f g Brown amp Brown 2006 72 a b c d e f Poon 2011 100 a b c d e f g Melton amp Baumann 2010 912 913 a b Schomp 2009 70 Schomp 2009 89 Welch 2008 228 Chester Beatty Library online Archived 2014 10 22 at the Wayback Machine Magpie Festival prezi com Retrieved 2021 11 18 Saint Valentine s Day The Legend of Magpie Bridge www novareinna com Retrieved 2021 04 25 七夕节的由来和风俗简介 七夕节的来历和风俗特点 www xuexi la Retrieved 2021 04 25 a b c d Stepanchuk amp Wong 1991 83 Kiang 1999 132 Stepanchuk amp Wong 1991 82 Welch 2008 77 English Translation of Chinese Poetry 中文詩詞英譯 28utscprojects wordpress com Retrieved 2020 02 13 QiXi Festival 2009 Archived from the original on 2019 06 13 Retrieved 2019 08 05 via www google com Qixi Festival 2022 www google com Bibliography Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qixi Festival Hard copy Brown Ju Brown John 2006 China Japan Korea Culture and customs North Charleston BookSurge ISBN 1 4196 4893 4 Kiang Heng Chye 1999 Cities of aristocrats and bureaucrats The development of medieval Chinese cityscapes Singapore Singapore University Press ISBN 9971 69 223 6 Lai Sufen Sophia 1999 Father in Heaven Mother in Hell Gender politics in the creation and transformation of Mulian s mother Presence and presentation Women in the Chinese literati tradition New York St Martin s Press ISBN 0 312 21054 X Melton J Gordon Baumann Martin 2010 The Double Seventh Festival Religions of the world A comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices 2nd ed Santa Barbara ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 59884 203 6 Poon Shuk wah 2011 Negotiating religion in modern China State and common people in Guangzhou 1900 1937 Hong Kong Chinese University of Hong Kong ISBN 978 962 996 421 4 Schomp Virginia 2009 The ancient Chinese New York Marshall Cavendish Benchmark ISBN 978 0 7614 4216 5 Stepanchuk Carol Wong Charles 1991 Mooncakes and hungry ghosts Festivals of China San Francisco China Books amp Periodicals ISBN 0 8351 2481 9 Welch Patricia Bjaaland 2008 Chinese art A guide to motifs and visual imagery North Clarendon Tuttle Publishing ISBN 978 0 8048 3864 1 Zhao Rongguang 2015 A History of Food Culture in China SCPG Publishing Corporation ISBN 978 1 938368 16 5 Online Ladies on the Night of Sevens Pleading for Skills Dublin Chester Beatty Library Portal China Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Qixi Festival amp oldid 1116095257, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
