Chinese Valentine’s Day: Lovers Revel in Ancient and Romantic Love Stories
Aug 19, 2023
Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the Qixi Festival, which comes from a romantic ancient legend and is the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Today, people usually exchange gifts, express love, and spend romantic time with their loved ones.
Taipei, Taiwan (Merxwire) – Romantic moment! This year’s Qixi Festival is coming on Tuesday, August 22 (the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar). Many singles are thinking about how to express their love, while lovers are preparing to exchange gifts. Why do Chinese spend romantic time with their lovers on this day? There is a touching story behind this.
“Qixi Festival” is also known as “Chinese Valentine’s Day,” which comes from a romantic legend. This legend originated in China and mainly narrates the love story between Cowherd and Weaver Girl. In the story, one of them is the daughter of a god, and the other is a mortal. They can only meet every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
According to this ancient legend, Cowherd, a young man herding cattle, and Weaver Girl, the daughter of a god, met on earth, fell in love, and had two children. However, the God Realm did not allow Weaver Girl to stay in the human world, so she was brought back to the God Realm.
To prevent Weaver Girl from sneaking into the world to meet Cowherd, God Realm set up the Milky Way in the sky to separate them. Only on July 7 of the lunar calendar every year will the magpie, regarded as a symbol of happiness in China, build a bridge across the Milky Way so that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can meet.
In light of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl story, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is considered Valentine’s Day in China. In traditional culture, people will participate in romantic activities on this day, such as stargazing, making wishes, writing love poems, exchanging gifts, and expressing love.
In recent years, fewer and fewer people have watched stars and written love poems. More people spend candlelight dinners with their lovers on the day of the Qixi Festival and participate in kiss or hug durability competitions. Some people also choose to marry on this day, hoping their love will be as firm as the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl.
Qixi Festival emphasizes the importance of love and romance and is seen as a special day to celebrate love and family. It’s worth noting that traditional Qixi celebrations vary in different regions, but the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl remains at the heart of the festival. If you missed Western Valentine’s Day, this year’s July 7 of the lunar calendar, spend a romantic moment with your lover!
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