How should modern people celebrate Chinese Valentine’s Day?

Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival or the Daughter's Day. It is one of the most romantic of Chinese traditional festivals and a day of great importance for girls in ancient times. The Tang Dynasty poet Lin Jie wrote in his poem “Qiqiao”: “Tonight on Qixi, I gaze at the azure sky, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl cross the river bridge. Every family prays for skill, gazing at the autumn moon, threading tens of thousands of strands of red silk.” This poem describes the grand scene of women threading needles to pray for skill.

Today, in addition to experiencing the prosperity and grandeur of thousands of years ago through text, how should we celebrate Qixi Festival? By interviewing women and elementary school students from various professions and ages, we explore their understanding of the traditional customs of Qixi Festival.

According to legend, the Chinese Valentine’s Day originated from people’s worship of nature at that time. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people worshipped Altair and Vega on the Chinese Valentine’s Day. After the Han Dynasty, it began to be associated with the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and it evolved into today’s Chinese Valentine’s Day. On May 20, 2006, it was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list by the State Council.

Xie Yuzhuo, born in the 1970s and a public welfare lecturer on family education, grew up in rural Sichuan. She has never remembered celebrating Qixi Festival. “I only heard my mother tell stories when I was a child. On the day of the festival, my mother would point to the Milky Way and say, ‘Look at those stars. One is Altair and the other is Vega. On this day, they will meet on the Magpie Bridge. They only see each other once a year.’”

Wang Yanhong, a lively and active person born in the 1980s, said: “The first time I heard the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl was when I was a child. My grandmother told me a story. One day, my grandmother asked me, ‘Do you know where the magpies in the sky have gone?’ I said, ‘Where have they gone?’ My grandmother pointed to the sky and said, ‘There are two fairies living in the sky, one is called the Cowherd and the other is called the Weaver Girl. The magpies have gone to build a bridge for them.’ Only when I grew up did I realize that my grandmother was telling me a fairy tale and that the day was the Chinese Valentine’s Day.”

Zhang Caihong, who specializes in tea-tea-making, recalls her mother’s childhood tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, which she finds so mysterious and beautiful. She says, “I sat under the grape trellis and secretly listened to the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’s love story and their whispers. Later, I learned that Qixi Festival is China’s traditional Valentine’s Day.”

More young people celebrate Chinese Valentine’s Day as Valentine’s Day

For 28-year-old Su Yue, the most beautiful memory is celebrating the Chinese Valentine’s Day as Valentine’s Day during his college years. “I feel that day is a very memorable festival that witnesses the love between men and women. We can express our love to each other and make vows to each other. It is China’s Valentine’s Day.” Su Yue said that in the future, she will take her one-year-old baby to participate in folk activities, so that they can experience China’s traditional folk culture together and grow together.

Xue Han, a young tea server, shared a sweet recounting of her Qixi Festival celebrations. She said, “Girls my age usually spend the day eating out, buying flowers, and watching movies. As a post-90s generation, I really look forward to celebrating Qixi Festival because it’s our traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day.”

During an interview, Sun Kunyan, who works at a certain company, shared that they once organized a Qixi Festival celebration for everyone at their workplace. Later, seven women formed a WeChat group called “Seven Fairies,” where they worked together on crafts, aromatherapy, and tea. They also imitated the seven fairies in heaven, organizing activities every Tuesday or Friday for three years without interruption.

Ms. Tian Wei shared this sentiment and was deeply moved by the Qixi Festival legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, who, after enduring hardships, are finally able to reunite once a year across the Magpie Bridge. She said, “This is just like our lives: only after enduring all kinds of storms can we see the rainbow. This Qixi Festival, I plan to watch the stars with my loved one in a dark place, returning to nature and enjoying some romance.”

Primary school students’ understanding of the Qixi Festival is limited to textbooks.

Adult women’s understanding of traditional festivals is mostly through word of mouth from the older generation. So how much do the post-2000 generation know about Qixi Festival? The reporter randomly interviewed two elementary school students who like handicrafts.

Ruirui, who is 9 and a half years old this year, has always wanted to be a fashion designer since she was a child. She likes making and cutting very much, but she has never heard of the traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day girl related to handicrafts and begging for skills, nor has she heard of the “Cowherd and Weaver Girl Myth”.

Guoguo, who likes to make clothes for her dolls, is a clever girl. Regarding the traditional Chinese festival, she said that her elementary school textbooks, which cover traditional Chinese festivals, mention the festival. However, she’s still not very clear about the specific date and customs of the festival.

“Qixi Festival is a very romantic festival. On this day, I think people can wear Hanfu or Tang suits and organize some traditional cultural activities, such as handicrafts, tea tasting, illustration, etiquette learning, etc., to encourage people around them to spend this festival together.” Xue Han said.

How should modern women celebrate Qixi Festival? Hear what they have to say.

“Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a traditional festival symbolizing love. In traditional folk culture, we express love between men and women through handicrafts and folk activities,” said Xie Yuzhuo.

Shang Xuxinhe, a post-90s fashion design graduate from Italy’s Academia di belle atri di Frosinone, said, “On Qixi Festival, I create a peaceful atmosphere for myself. By doing crafts, making delicious food, and other handicrafts, I can calm my mind and calm my restless heart.”

Life needs a sense of ritual. Traditional folk activities like the Qixi Festival remind us to maintain a focus and passion for what we do. The return of traditional festivals allows young people to explore the many things we do in our lives. By living in the present moment, we can experience a lot of beauty.