While Valentine’s Day is on February 14 in other parts of the world, China celebrates its version during the Qixi Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. So Qixi Festival is also called Double Seventh Day.
The legend of Qixi
The Festival has been celebrated in China since the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 AD). Based on the romantic legend of “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl”, the day is celebrated at the time of years when the stars Vega and Altair become bridged together across the Milky Way by a third star.
However, the Goddess of Heaven (Zhinü's mother) found out that Zhinü, a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The goddess was furious and sent celestial soldiers to bring Zhinü back. Niulang was very upset when he found his wife was taken back to heaven. Then his ox asked Niulang to kill it and put on its hide, so he would be able to go up to heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two beloved children off to heaven to find Zhinü.
Heartbroken, he and his children could only weep bitterly. However, their love moved all the magpies to take pity on them, and they flew up into heaven to form a bridge over the river, so Niulang and Zhinü could meet on the magpie bridge. The goddess was also moved by their love, so she allowed them a meeting on the magpie bridge on that day every year (the seventh day of the seventh lunar month).
Today, Qixi has evolved to become the festival of romance. It is often called Chinese Valentine’s Day. People usually celebrate Chinese Valentine's Day by giving flowers, chocolates, and other presents to their sweethearts, instead of doing the traditional customs.
Qixi Festival dates (2019-2022)
The date is base on the Chinese lunar calendar, so it's about 21 to 51 days after the Gregorian date.Year | Date |
2019 | August 7 |
2020 | August 25 |
2021 | August 14 |
2022 | August 4 |
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