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Today is a romantic Chinese Festival - 七夕 (Qīxī).
七夕 falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar mouth on the Chinese calendar, which is August 4th this year. It's an increasingly popular traditional Chinese festival among the young generation in China.
Today I would like to share some interesting facts about 七夕 Festival so you can have a better understanding about this traditional festival! 👇
七夕 = Chinese Valentine' Day?
七夕 was derived from the worship of the natural astrological star signs. Chinese ancestors worship the stars of Altair and Vega, which are distributed on the 2 sides of the Milky Way. According to Chinese ancestors' observations, the constellation of Altair is like a cow ploughing farmland, and the constellation of Vega symbolizes a weaving girl.
From ancient time and as years passed, Chinese mythology changed this "weaving girl" into a goddess who loves weaving clouds, and is also a protector of women, children and couples. People call this goddess "七姐 (Qījiě)" - the Seventh Elder Sister. People celebrate her birthday which is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. That's the origin of 七夕.The derivation of the story hasn't finished. Gradually, people further developed a love story based on the star sign and 七姐's mythology - 牛郎 (Niúláng: cow herder) and 织女 (Zhīnǚ: weaver goddess). The earliest-known reference to this famous love story dates back to over 2,600 years ago. Check out the story👇:
How did the ancient Chinese celebrate 七夕？
In ancient time, on the night of 七夕, unmarried girls prayed to Vega for having clever hands, and a good sense for weaving, thus to gain a happy marriage.
To celebrate this festival, ancient Chinese women invented some weaving related games:
For this game they should put some water in a vessel and leave it in the open air until it is covered by a film of dust. Then, cast a needle or thin straw on it to see the pattern of the shadow at the bottom, so as to test their dexterity.
This is a game testing the girls' speed of threading a needle under the moon. The girl who can thread a needle with 7 or 9 holes the quickest will win the game.七夕 was actually not themed on love at the beginning. Inspired by the story of 牛郎 and 织女, it has evolved into a festival for romance in modern times. 七夕 has also been gradually stimulating the annual commodity economy boom. Buying 七夕 gifts for partners has now become a must-do for Chinese people on every 七夕.
七夕 has become an important advertising campaign in Chinese marketOn August 3, Baidu released the "七夕 Consumer Searching Big Data":
七夕 is recognized as a local Valentine's Day, and the searching density of this year has more than doubled compared to last year. As the most romantic traditional festival in China, 七夕 is way more popular than the western Valentine's Day among Chinese people.
- When it comes to giving gifts to each other, men are most active in the crush stage while women are more active after marriage.
- When picking a gift, people are more concerned about the "meaning" and "practicality" of the gifts now. Although flowers and chocolates are still "standard" gifts, 七夕 consumption has shown a "pragmatic" trend.
- The post-00s (people born after 1999) joint the 七夕 consumer army, but the post-90s (people born after 1989) are still the main consumer group.
- Skin care, cosmetics, bags, flowers, jewelry and watches are the most popular chosen gifts.
- "Self-pleasing" consumption also gradually became the trend. Singles also love to treat themselves nicely on this speical day.
Romantic sentences & words you must know for 七夕 Today, let's also take advantage of 七夕 to learn some romantic phrases in Chinese, just in case you need them in the future![]()
I grasped your hand. Together with you I will grow old.
Zhí zǐ zhī shǒu, yǔ zǐ xié lǎo.
👆A household verse from an ancient poem. Chinese people always quote this verse to express their appreciation and commitment towards eternal love.
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Some special number code for love:520 - wǒ ài nǐ - 我爱你
I love you
1314 - yì shēng yí shì - 一生一世
whole lifetime
5201314 - 我爱你一生一世
I love you foreverSilk Mandarin 祝你和你的爱人七夕节快乐！Silk Mandarin wishes you and your loved one a sweet Qixi Festival!
(All the pics are from the Internet)
