Falling on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is August 7 this year, Qixi Festival is considered China’s version of Valentine’s Day. You may wonder why there are so many Valentine’s Days in China… other than the fake holiday “520” promoted by companies like Taobao, there are actually three – Lantern Festival, Shangsi Festival, and the most famous one, Qixi Festival! Here are some words and phrases to help you understand more about this holiday, its history, traditions, and food.
Story
Originally known as Qiqiao Festival in the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE), Qixi Festival was actually a significant festival for young women, who prayed for skillful hands for sewing, so they would be prepared for marriage. Later, people related it to the tale of star-crossed lovers separated in the night sky by the Milky Way– Zhinu (the weaver girl), a fairy from heaven, and Niulang (a cowherd), an ordinary farm boy. (Visit here to learn more about the tale.)
Valentine’s Day 情人节 Qíngrén Jié
Qixi festival 七夕节 Qīxī Jié
Folk tale 传说 Chuánshuō
Milky Way 银河 Yínhé
Weaver girl 织女 Zhīnǚ
Cowherd 牛郎 Niúláng
Romance 恋爱 Liàn’ài
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is Qixi Festival.
Nónglì de qīyuè qīrì shì qīxījié. 农历的七月七日是七夕节。
Zhinu fell in love with Niulang.
Zhīnǚ hé Niúláng xiāngài le. 织女和牛郎相爱了。
Traditions
As sewing is considered one of the most important domestic skills for marriage, traditionally girls would pray to be skillful at needlework on this day. Handmade scarves and hats are popular gifts for Qixi Festival. In addition to this, people will often plan their special dates around locations where it’s easy to gaze at the stars in the night sky.
Sewing skills 编织技巧 Biānzhī jìqiǎo
Send roses 送玫瑰 Sòng méiguī
Give chocolate 送巧克力 Sòng qiǎokélì
Spot the stars 观星 Guānxīng
Romantic 浪漫的 Làngmàn de
They have good sewing skills.
Tāmén yǒu hěnhǎo de biānzhī jìqiǎo. 她们有很好的编织技巧。
Men will send roses and chocolate to women.
Nánshēng huì sòng méiguì hé qiǎokélì gěi nǚshēng. 男生会送玫瑰和巧克力给女生。
Food
Different regions in China have different food to celebrate Qixi Festival. Most commonly people eat sweet food during Qixi Festival in the hope of ingenuity, a sweet romance, and a good marriage.
Dumplings 饺子 Jiǎozi
Nuts 坚果 Jiānguǒ
Noodles 面条 Miàntiáo
Chicken 鸡肉 Jīròu
Qiaoguo (Fried Thin Pastry) 巧果 Qiǎoguǒ
Photo: pexels
