What does it mean to thread a needle and pray for dexterity on the Chinese Valentine's Day? Why do we have to thread a needle to pray for dexterity?
The longest-lasting and most widely spread custom of the Qixi Festival is "begging for cleverness". The main participants of the Qixi Festival activities are young girls, and the content of the festival activities is mainly about begging for skills, so people call this day the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Girls' Festival" or "Daughters' Festival". "Er Ya Shi Tian" says: "The seventh month is Xiang, and the eighth month is Zhuang." Therefore, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is also called "Xiang Yue". You can also learn more about the seventh month of the lunar calendar in 2020 on Shuimoxiansheng.com!What does it mean to thread a needle and pray for dexterity on the Chinese Valentine's Day?Threading a needle to pray for dexterity is the earliest way of praying for dexterity, which started in the Han Dynasty and spread to later generations. "Miscellaneous Records of Western Capital" said: "Beautiful women of the Han Dynasty often threaded seven-hole needles in the Kaijin Tower on July 7th, and everyone was accustomed to it." According to it, the custom of women gathering together on the night of the Qixi Festival to compete in needle threading already existed in the Han Dynasty, and this activity was held every year in the palace.In addition, "Jingchu Sui Shi Ji" by Zong Yan of the Southern Dynasties clearly records that "July 7th is the night when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl get together" and "On that night, women build colorful towers and thread seven-hole needles, or use gold, silver, jade and stone as needles." From this, we can know that this custom had been established at the latest in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD), and may even be traced back to the Han Dynasty. In the custom of begging for skills, the needle is a special festival prop that ancient girls must know how to use and is essential for doing "women's work", that is, needlework. In ancient times, there were needles specifically used for begging for cleverness on July 7th. The holes of these "special needles" were relatively large, and some had more than one hole, including double-eye, five-hole, seven-hole, and as many as "nine-hole" needles. On the night of July 7, if you can thread the needle successfully, you will be considered lucky. The women compete in needle threading. They tie colorful threads and thread them through a seven-hole needle. Whoever threads faster means more tricks. Those who dress slowly are called "losing skills". The person who loses the game must give the gift he prepared in advance to the person who wins the game. Why do we have to thread a needle to pray for dexterity?Begging for skills was very popular in ancient times, especially among young girls who enjoyed it very much. Why? In fact, it is not just a need for "begging for dexterity". The subconscious of "begging for dexterity" is actually "begging for love", a desire for love, marriage and family - "threading the needle" itself is a metaphor for the marriage between men and women.There are two ways of begging for skills among the people:One is "Spider-in-Law Begging for Skill", which is slightly later than "Threading a Needle to Beg for Skill" and originated in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. On the evening of the seventh day of July, the captured spider (a small red spider) is placed in a jewelry box or other container. The next morning, open the box and observe the spider's web. If the web is square and round, dense and sparse, it means that the beggar is dexterous.The other is the "throwing a needle to test skill" method, which was popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the morning of July 7th, place a basin of water in the sun. After a thin layer of film condenses on the surface of the water, put the needle you usually use for sewing or embroidery into the basin and the needle will float on the water. If the shadow of the needle in the water is in the shape of clouds or flowers, it means "cleverness". If it is as thick as a hammer or bent and shapeless, it means the woman who lost the needle is a "clumsy woman". |
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