Tanabata is China's Valentine's Day. What folk activities did Valentine's Day in China have in ancient times?

In ancient times, different regions had different activities to celebrate Valentine's Day in China, showing colorful characteristics.

1. There is a Qixi Xiangqiao Fair in Gudoujing Village, Tang Hui Town, Jiaxing, Jiangsu. Every year on Tanabata, someone will participate and build a fragrant bridge. The so-called fragrant bridge is a bridge about four or five meters long and half a meter wide. It is made of all kinds of thick and long wrapped incense (paper wrapped incense), mounted with railings and decorated with flowers made of five-color lines.

In the evening, people offered sacrifices to the Double Star, begging for good luck, and then burned Xiangqiao, symbolizing that the Double Star had crossed Xiangqiao and met happily. This fragrant bridge originated from the legendary magpie bridge legend.

2. In Jiaodong area, Seven Sisters worships on Tanabata. Young women put on new clothes, got together, tied the knot for Seven Sisters in the court, and sang songs: "Yellow Emperor, I invited Seven Sisters to heaven. I don't want to draw your needle, I don't want to draw your line, I want to show you 72 good methods.

In many places, the same is true of Qiao Hua. Girls use flour to make cakes and steamed buns with flowers, such as peony, lotus, plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum (or appropriate fruit), and clever dishes, that is, malt is cultivated in a small handleless wine cup (this is the "breeding" in the Song Dynasty), and appropriate fruits and clever dishes are used to sacrifice to Weaver Girl.

3. In Shaanxi, on the night of Qixi, the girls will make an "ancient bridge" shape more than one meter high with straw (also called Qiao Niangniang, that is, Weaver Girl), and let her put on the girl's green coat and red skirt and sit in the yard; The girls presented melons and fruits, took out the pre-planted bean sprouts and onion buds (that is, "seeds", which women call clever buds), cut them into pieces, put them in a bowl of clear water, floated on the water, and watched the bud shadow under the moon.

4. In Fujian, women and girls set up incense burners and various sacrifices: tea, wine, vase arrangement, five sons (longan, red dates, hazelnuts, peanuts and melon seeds) and the powder of Weaver Girl. After worshipping the Double Star, the powder for the Weaver Girl was divided into two parts, half of which was thrown on the roof for the Weaver Girl, and the other half was dressed and beautified by herself.

5. In Guangdong, Valentine's Day in China received the most attention during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and there were many interesting customs. In Qu Dajun's Guangdong Xinyu, the grand occasion of the "Seven Mothers' Meeting" in the early Qing Dynasty has been recorded, and people often call it "worshipping Seven Sisters". Activities are usually carried out among young girls and young women. A dozen good sisters organized themselves in advance to prepare to "worship Seven Sisters". In June, some rice, wheat and mung beans will germinate in porcelain bowls.

Tanabata is getting busier as it approaches. We need to raise some money and ask our families to help us build a magpie bridge with bamboo paper and make all kinds of exquisite handicrafts. On the evening of Chinese Valentine's Day, the square table was set up in the hall, embroidered tables (table skirts) were tied, and various colorful flower and fruit products and needlework were placed to show the ingenuity of the daughters.