In which dynasty did the Qixi Festival originate and become popular?
The Chinese Valentine's Day, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, the Qiqiao Festival or the Seventh Sisters' Birthday, originated in China and is one of the important traditional folk festivals. So what do you know about the origin and customs of Qixi Festival? In which dynasty did the Qixi Festival originate and become popular? July is also called Qiao Yue, Gua Yue, Orchid Autumn, Zhao Qiu, New Autumn, First Autumn, Xiang Yue, Meng Qiu and Early Autumn. Come to Mr. Shui Mo's website to learn more details about the seventh month of the lunar calendar in 2020.In which dynasty did the Qixi Festival originate?The Qixi Festival, a festival for begging for cleverness, originated in the Han Dynasty. In the Western Capital Miscellaneous Records by Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there is a record that "beautiful women of the Han Dynasty used to thread seven-hole needles in the open-collared tower on July 7th, and everyone was accustomed to it." This is the earliest record of begging for cleverness that we have seen in ancient documents. In later Tang and Song Dynasty poetry, women's begging for skills were repeatedly mentioned. Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem saying "The dim stars are adorned with pearly light, and the palace maids are busy begging for skills on the Qixi Festival." According to "Kaiyuan Tianbao Yishi", Emperor Taizong of Tang and his concubines held banquets in the Qing Palace on the Qixi Festival every year, and the palace maids each begged for skills. This custom has been popular among the people and passed down from generation to generation.In which dynasty was the Qixi Festival popular?During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Qixi Festival was quite grand, and there was even a market in the capital city that sold items for the Qixi Festival, which was known as the Qixi Market. Song Dynasty Luoye and Jin Yingzhi compiled "Zuiweng Tanlu" said: "On the Qixi Festival, people buy and sell Qiqiao items in front of Pan Tower. From July 1st, the carriages and horses are congested, and three days before the Qixi Festival, the carriages and horses are blocked and cannot pass. The traffic is blocked and people cannot get out until nightfall." Here, from the grand occasion of buying Qiqiao items in the Qixi Market, we can infer the lively scene of the Qixi Festival at that time. People start preparing for the Qiqiao Festival from the first day of July. The Qiqiao Market is bustling with people and vehicles. When it is close to the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Qiqiao Market becomes a sea of people and vehicles can hardly pass through. The atmosphere and customs seem to be no less than the grandest festival - the Spring Festival, which shows that the Qiqiao Festival was one of the most favorite festivals of the ancients.Chinese Valentine's Day customs01 Zhejiang Qixi Fragrance Bridge Meeting <br /> In Gudoujing Village, Tanghui Township, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, there is a Qixi Fragrance Bridge Meeting. Every year on the Chinese Valentine's Day, people come to participate and build incense bridges. The so-called incense bridge is a bridge about four to five meters long and half a meter wide, built with various thick and long wrapped incense (stick incense wrapped in paper). It is equipped with railings and decorated with flowers made of five-colored threads on the railings. At night, people offer sacrifices to the two stars, praying for blessings and good fortune, and then burn the incense bridge, symbolizing that the two stars have walked across the incense bridge and met each other happily. This Xiang Bridge is derived from the legendary Magpie Bridge.02 Women in Hunan and Zhejiang wash their hair and collect dew <br /> It is also a special custom for women to wash their hair on the Qixi Festival. This record can be found in Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. For example, the "You County Chronicle" of Xiangtan area in Hunan Province records: "On July 7th, women pick cypress leaves and peach branches, boil them into soup and wash their hair." The famous prose writer Qi Jun (from Zhejiang) also mentioned in his "Ji" that his mother, aunt-in-law and other female relatives all washed their hair on the Qixi Festival. This custom is probably related to the belief in "holy water" on the Qixi Festival. People believe that drawing spring water or river water on the Qixi Festival is like drawing water from the Milky Way, which has the sacred power of purification. In some places, it is simply called "Holy Water of Tiansun (i.e. Weaver Girl)". Therefore, it has special meaning for women to wash their hair on this day, which means that using the holy water from the Milky Way to cleanse their hair will surely gain the blessing of the Goddess of Weaving. There is also a popular custom of collecting dew in washbasins. Legend has it that the dew on the Chinese Valentine's Day are the tears of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl when they met. If you smear the dew on your eyes and hands, it can make your eyesight clear and your hands quick. 03 Guangdong - Qinianghui <br /> In Guangdong, the most important festivals were during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and many interesting customs were passed down. Qu Dajun's "Guangdong Xinyu" recorded the grand occasion of the "Seven Niang Meeting" in the early Qing Dynasty. During the Republic of China, many interesting customs were popular. Qu Dajun's "Guangdong Xinyu" recorded the grand occasion of the "Seven Sisters Meeting" in the early Qing Dynasty, which was often called "Paying Homage to the Seventh Sister" among the people. According to the recollections of elderly people who participated in the "Worship the Seven Sisters" activity during the Republic of China period, the "Worship the Seven Sisters" activity was particularly popular in the Xiguan area of Guangzhou. The activity is usually carried out among young girls and young women (men and old women can only watch and perform rituals and worship). A dozen close sisters will organize themselves in advance to prepare for "worshiping the Seventh Sister". In June, they will soak some rice, wheat grains, mung beans, etc. in a porcelain bowl to let them germinate. On the night of the Chinese Valentine's Day, daughters would dress up, bathe and wash their hair with water from the Milky Way, then change into brocade skirts and jackets, cheongsams, put their hair in a bun, and wear floral ornaments such as white orchid and jasmine. They would then draw their eyebrows, put on rouge and powder, paint their lipstick, and print prints on their foreheads; and they would dye their nails with marigold juice. After being dressed up like this, the daughters looked like fairies descending to earth. They sat around the Eight Immortals Table and the Magpie Bridge and played various games: they amused themselves by reciting poems, composing couplets, guessing riddles, and threading needles to pray for dexterity; they pointed out the Big Dipper (according to legend, the Weaver Girl is one of the seven sisters) and the double star in the sky, and told stories about the Cowherd and the Girl and allusions in poems and essays; they invited singing girls to sing Cantonese opera and play eight-character music, and the daughters also played instruments such as the zither and the flute. 04Taiwan worships the "bed mother" In addition to worshipping the Seventh Mother on the Chinese Valentine's Day in Taiwan, people often also prepare a small bowl of oily rice and bring it to the room to worship the "bed mother". The two should have similar meanings. Childbirth and child-rearing are irreplaceable responsibilities of women, so these gods are all female gods; a close connection is formed between female gods and female believers, which resolves the anxiety and fear of women when taking on the role of mother. "Bed Mother" is the patron saint of children. July 7th is Bed Mother's birthday. Families with children will worship Bed Mother beside the child's bed in the evening of that day. Offerings include: oil rice, chicken wine (or sesame oil chicken), burning "four-sided gold" and "bed mother's clothes". The worship of Bed Mother should not be too long, unlike the usual worship which requires three rounds of wine. After the offerings are arranged and the incense is lit, you can prepare to burn "four-sided gold" and "bed mother's clothes". After burning, you can remove the offerings, hoping that the child will grow up quickly. You cannot worship too long, for fear that Bed Mother will spoil the child and make him stay in bed. 05 Jiaodong worships the Seventh Sister God <br /> In Jiaodong, people mostly worship the Seventh Sister God on the Qixi Festival. Young women put on new clothes, gathered together, and formed an alliance of seven sisters in the courtyard, singing a ballad: "The sky is vast, the earth is vast, I invite the seventh sister to go to heaven. I don't want your needle or thread, I just want to learn your 72 good tricks." Many places also make "Qiaohua". The girls use flour to make cakes and steamed buns with flowers such as peony, lotus, plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum (or called Qiaoguo), and Qiaocai, which is to cultivate malt in a wine cup (this is the "zhongsheng" in the Song Dynasty). Qiaoguo and Qiaocai are used to sacrifice to the Weaver Girl. 06 Southwest China - Dyeing nails <br /> Dyeing nails is a Qixi custom that is popular in southwest China. It is also found in many county chronicles in Sichuan Province, Guizhou, and Guangdong. Young girls in many areas like to wash their hair with tree sap mixed with water during festivals. Legend has it that this can not only make them young and beautiful, but also help unmarried girls find their ideal husband as soon as possible. Dyeing nails with flowers and plants is also a hobby for most women and children during festivals and is closely related to fertility beliefs. 07 Tie up the Clever Girl in Shaanxi <br /> In the Loess Plateau region of Shaanxi, there is also a custom of holding various activities to beg for cleverness on the night of the Qixi Festival. Women often tie up a straw man in flowery clothes, called the Clever Girl. Not only do they offer fruits and vegetables, they also plant bean sprouts and green onions. On the night of the Qixi Festival, women from each family hold a bowl of water, cut bean sprouts and green onions, put them in the water, and use the shadow of objects thrown under the moon to predict their fate. They also compete in threading needles. At the same time, an activity to compete in cutting paper-cuts is also held. 08 Guangxi Qixi Water Storage <br /> In some areas of Guangxi, there is a custom of storing water on Qixi. It is believed that bathing in double-seven water can eliminate disasters and diseases. Children with weak and sickly bodies often tie seven knots on a red head rope and wear it around their necks on this day to pray for health and good luck. |
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