Tanabata is a traditional festival in China. How should I spend it with my girlfriend?

China Valentine's Day, also known as Qiaoqi Festival, Qijie Festival, Daughter's Day, Beggar's Day, Chinese Valentine's Day, Niuniu Festival and Qiaoxi Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. Valentine's Day in China, which originated from the worship of stars, is Seven Sisters's birthday in the traditional sense. Because of the worship of Seven Sisters on the seventh day of July, it was named Tanabata. After historical development, Tanabata has been endowed with the beautiful love legend of "Cowherd and Weaver Girl", making it a festival symbolizing love, thus being regarded as the most romantic traditional festival in China, and even having the cultural meaning of "China Valentine's Day" in contemporary times.

Festival custom

Worship the weaver girl

On Tanabata, we worship the Weaver Girl, burn incense before the case, and after the worship, everyone sits around the table, eating peanuts and melon seeds, and meditating on their own ideas. If a girl wants to be beautiful or marry a husband, and a young woman wants to have a baby early, she can silently pray to the Weaver Girl.

Acupuncture the moon

Putting a needle on the moon means that every family cleans the courtyard on the seventh night of July. Young women and girls must first bow down to Vega and pray for her to bless their intelligence. Then, they took out colorful silk threads and seven silver needles prepared in advance and put them on the moon. Whoever puts on seven stitches first indicates that she will become a skilled woman in the future.

propose

On the east and west banks of the Milky Way, there is a shining star across the river, that is, Altair and Vega. In mythology, magpies bridge the bridge, and cowherd and weaver girl get together on this day. They looked at each other affectionately, full of poetry and painting. On this day, the girls look at the stars under the moon and worship God in the sky. I sincerely pray that the Weaver Maid God will give them dexterous hands and pray that they can get a happy marriage.

Store tanabata water

"Qixi Water" is also called "Qiqi Water". It is said that "Tanabata Water" has magical effects, and it can be used for a long time to treat burns and remove sores. According to folklore, on the morning of July 7th, the fairy will come down to the earth to take a bath. Her bath water can ward off evil spirits, cure diseases and prolong life. Therefore, people will go to the river to get water on the morning of Tanabata, and then bring it back and put it in a new urn for later use.

Seed search

A few days before Tanabata, first spread a layer of soil on a small wooden board, sow the seeds of millet, let it bear green seedlings, and then put some small huts and flowers on it to make it look like a small village of Tian Sheren, called "shell board", or soak mung beans, adzuki beans and wheat in a magnetic bowl, and then tie them into a bundle with red and blue silk threads, called "shell board". All parts of the south are also called "bubble cleverness", and the sprouted bean sprouts are called smart buds. Even the needles are replaced by smart buds and thrown on the water to beg for cleverness. This is a ceremony for the ancients to pray for children, and it is also a blessing for children.

etc

It is said that if there are frail children in the family, parents often tie the red rope into seven knots and wear it around the child's neck, praying for God to bless the child's health and longevity.

Bai kuixing

The first star of the Big Dipper is called Kuixing, also known as the champion. Kuixing is the god who dominated the rise and fall of articles in ancient China mythology. In the eyes of ancient students, Kuixing has the supreme status. It is said that July 7th is Kuixing's birthday, and Kuixing is a scholar. Scholars who want to achieve fame especially worship Kuixing, so they worship him on Qixi and pray for him to bless their success in the exam.

Holiday food

The dietary customs of Valentine's Day in China vary from place to place and are generally called "smart eating". An image of "Qiao" expresses the uniqueness of Tanabata's food customs and people's good wishes for ingenuity, family well-being and happy life.

Suitable fruit

Appropriate fruit is the most famous festival food on Tanabata. Proper fruit, also known as "jojo fruit", has many styles. "Begging for clever fruit" is a traditional sacrifice and beauty of Valentine's Day in China. On the night of Tanabata, people came to the yard with "Qiaoqiao Fruit", and the family sat together and tasted the craft of making "Qiaoqiao Fruit".

Crispy candy

In some places in China, pastry shops will also make some crisp candies with the image of a weaver girl, commonly known as "capable people" and "skillful crisp", which are also called "sending talented people" when they are sold. People believe that people who eat this kind of shortbread will become ingenious.

Qiaoqiaofan

The so-called Jojo Rice means that seven girls eat jiaozi, and the number of seven is also called Qiao Qi, so jiaozi, who is packed by seven girls on Tanabata, is called Jojo Rice. Even in jiaozi, a copper coin, a red thread and a red date are packaged separately. Girls who eat copper coins will be blessed in the future. Girls who eat red lines will be ingenious, and girls who eat red dates will meet their sweetheart and get married early.

Tell me about yourself. On Valentine's Day, I chose to go to the supermarket with my girlfriend to buy ingredients, cook a dish for each other and enjoy their cooking time together.

After dinner, we can go to the theatre or the movies together.