Holidays and events in China. Interesting in the network Valentine's Day in China
The most romantic holiday in China is deservedly considered valentines day holiday, or Qixi. The Chinese celebrate it towards the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month according to the lunar calendar, usually this holiday falls on the first days of August. Given the date of the celebration, Qixi is also called the Double Seven Festival.
The Legend of the Shepherd and the Weaver
There are many legends and stories about how and when Valentine's Day originated in China. However, the most popular is the legend of the Shepherd and the Weaver.
According to legend, a shepherd named Nyulan lived in the world for a very long time. His parents died early, and he had to live in his older brother's house, but one day his brother's wife drove the shepherd out of the house, and Nyulan began to live on his own. He was engaged in agriculture and grazing an ox. One day, a weaver named Zhinyu who lives in heaven saw Niulang and fell in love with him. In a fit of feelings, she descended from heaven and married him. They lived happily and had children. But soon the heavenly sovereign found out about Zhinyu's life on earth and ordered the heavenly ruler to return the weaver to heaven. Nulan, in desperation, rushed in pursuit of his beloved wife and, taking the children, flew to heaven. But when he almost caught up with Zhinyu, the heavenly ruler drew a silver river between them with her golden hairpin (which later became known as the Milky Way).
The lovers remained on opposite sides of the river. All they could do was look at each other and weep in anguish. Their cries were heard by the birds. Forty thousand came from all over the world to form a bridge crossing where Niulang and Zhinyu could meet. The heavenly ruler also took pity on the lovers and gave them permission to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month on this very bridge of forty. This is how Qixi Valentine's Day was born.
How is Qixi Festival celebrated?
Now the holiday of Valentine's Day is more popular among young people. On this day, it is customary to give small gifts, souvenirs and flowers to loved ones. Also, many young people choose this day in order to tell about their feelings to the person they feel sympathy for.
In ancient times, Qixi was more symbolic and meaningful. On this day, young girls were wondering - they asked the Weaver to answer their most secret questions. Many have watched the stars. Everyone was waiting for a shooting star, which would surely bring good luck and success to the person who saw it. And the one who was able to see a shooting star at midnight was considered to have seen the shepherd Niulan crossing the silver river. It brought great luck.
Another rite that unmarried girls liked to perform on Valentine's Day was that a thin blade of grass or a needle was placed in a bowl of clear water. Then we looked at how the shadow looks at the bottom of the cup. A clearly defined shadow or a shadow in the shape of a flower meant that everything was waiting for the girl only good, if the shadow was fuzzy, then the girl was waiting for ridicule and gossip.
Older women prayed to heaven for happiness, health and well-being for their families, but they were only allowed to ask for one thing, about what was more important at that time. After the prayer, it was necessary to bow to heaven seven times. When the ceremony ended, paper, silk and leather items were thrown onto the roof of their own house.
Until our time, the tradition of planting a spider in a small box has been preserved. He remained in the box all night, and if in the morning a cobweb was found along with the spider, then the one who performed this ceremony was sure to be lucky.
AT valentine's day holiday everyone wishes love, family happiness and a strong marriage, because initially Qixi was a symbol of the union of male and female principles for the birth of a new life.
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International Women's Day in China also passes unnoticed, all attention is focused on Arbor Day - on this day, March 12, plants are planted en masse, paying tribute to the memory of the revolutionary Sun Yat-sen. No less interesting is Qing Ming, a festival of purity and clarity, with walks through the first greenery and respectful visits to the graves of the dead.
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The summer period opens with one of the most significant traditional holidays - the Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated on a grand scale in China for 3 days. The grateful Honoring of Heaven towards the end of summer is replaced by the most romantic holiday - Valentine's Day, otherwise Double Seven Day, the best time for divination for the betrothed.
Another tribute to European traditions - Teacher's Day, September 10 - also symbolizes the country's desire to raise the intellectual level of young people. And again, the attention of all residents and guests of China turns to traditions - the Moon and Harvest Festival is coming. On September 28, the Chinese honor the memory of the ancient philosopher Confucius, who had a tremendous impact on the worldview of civilization as a whole.
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Holidays in the East have always been distinguished by their originality and mystery. They are interesting in content and have always attracted the attention of European nations. Exquisite outfits that emphasize the spirit of the holidays are unusual and attractive.
About the history of the holiday
However, there is one chic holiday that strikes with its unique romance. This is the oldest holiday celebrated in China. Festive events are usually planned to be celebrated on August 7, but according to the Chinese calendar. In 2018, it will also not be left unnoticed, but it is called Qixijie. At this time, the air is overflowing with the aromas of flowering herbs, and two huge and saturated stars will light up in the sky at the same time.
Incredibly, the stars also have a name, and each separately - the Shepherd and the Weaver. The stars are named after people who were connected by a bright, romantic and at the same time sad story. Naturally, this is a whole legend about love.
The legend itself says that there lived a poor shepherd who was left without a father and mother early. He lived with his brother, older than him. The brother was married, and his wife disliked the boy and drove him out of the house. And allegedly a weaver descended from the sky, she fell madly in love with the young man and was ready to become his wife. They began to live together and gave birth to two beautiful babies, but a happy life quickly ended.
Everything happened by the will of heaven, when the heavenly ruler found out about such an alliance, ordered to return the weaver to heaven. The king's wife was sent to take back the shepherd's wife. She carried out the plans of the heavenly ruler. The shepherd, without hesitation for a long time, set off to catch up with them, but did not manage to do this, since the gods divided the road with a river of silver. This road became known as the Milky Way.
The shepherd and the weaver realized that they were on opposite banks of this river. They looked at each other longingly and cried very much that they could not be together. They looked at them from the side of the magpie, the birds were unable to withstand their grief and decided to help loving people. Then they flocked from all the surroundings and settled one after another, so the bridge of birds turned out. On this bridge, the husband and wife went towards each other. The gods noted that love is really strong between them and gave permission to meet annually in this way. As a result, a great holiday appeared in China - Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day celebration
In the rural districts of China, the tradition of celebrating the day has been preserved since antiquity, and in big cities it has almost been forgotten. But in modern society, this event is again becoming relevant, especially among young people, so the holiday is gradually being revived.
This is an interesting time when summer is in full swing, the heat has set in, and therefore the soul becomes calm. All districts are decorated with flowers and garlands, the best fruits, teas, flowers, powder are specially brought for the Weaver and the Shepherd. Moreover, half of the powder is given to mythical creatures, thrown onto the roofs, and the other remains with the girls.
It is believed that this is how the fair sex is bestowed with beauty. Girls also know the ritual - they throw a needle into the water and if it floats, it means that the girl is endowed with talent. On this day, people present gifts to each other, invite them to restaurants for a romantic dinner, and also visit places of interest.
Valentine's Day is especially preferred by young people. This is not an accident. Young people are just beginning to live, and they have recently become familiar with this feeling. The celebration is welcomed by all the inhabitants of China, and rightly so, because love contributes to the continuation of the human race.
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Every year in China, one of the traditional holidays of the country is held - Qi Xi. This is one of the most romantic holidays, which is celebrated on the seventh month of the seventh day (according to the lunar calendar) in the evening. Therefore, this holiday is also called the Double Seven Festival.
Qi Xi is closely related to the story of the Weaver and the Shepherd, namely their touching love story. In ancient times, when the Song and Yuan dynasties were in power, magnificent celebrations were held in the capital on this day, and noisy fairs were also held. In ancient China, Qi Xi was one of the most beloved holidays.
Today, this holiday has already lost its former flavor, which is partially preserved only in the villages. Recently, Qi Xi has become especially popular with urban youth, who began to celebrate it as Valentine's Day.
On the days of the holiday, girls tell fortunes about their future husband. This element of the holiday echoes our Ivan Kupala holiday, when girls float wreaths on the water.
