What are the customs of Valentine's Day in China?

What are the customs of Valentine's Day in China?

Begging festival

In Yulin, Wuzhou, Guigang and other places in Guangxi, there is a custom of "begging for cleverness", and female friends will get together on Qixi night to compete for their own handicrafts. The basic skills of needlework are an important basis for judging whether a woman is smart or not in ancient times. Folk women usually worship Seven Sisters on Tanabata night and pray for their ingenuity.

Tanabata water storage

People in Baise and Jingxi of Guangxi believe that the water on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is very holy and clean. The water on Tanabata can not only ward off evil spirits and diseases, but also make them happy in love and life. Therefore, on the same day, people will choose to soak in water to pray. Others not only swim, but also take water from the river with empty bottles and take it home to keep their skin healthy. According to the custom of storing water on Tanabata, it is believed that bathing with double seven waters can eliminate disasters and diseases. Sick children often tie a red rope into seven knots on this day and wear it around their necks to pray for health and good luck.

Incense burning ceremony

On the evening of July 7, more incense burning ceremonies were held in various places and among Zhuang women. In some places, girls get together to burn incense and become sworn brothers; Look up at the Milky Way together and pray that you can find Mr. Right in the future; They also show each other their elaborate shoes and other items, and some places also hold various activities to meet God. In some places, it is called "You Shu Xian" or "Tianjie". In Xilin area, a wizard performed an operation to put the coat of a person who wanted to meet God or his deceased relatives on a bamboo cage (or chicken cage or pig cage). Then, people among the dead can see the voices and smiles of their deceased relatives in fairy tales, or they can say things that outsiders don't know. In fairy tales, wizards play the role of translators, conveying what both sides want to say to each other.

What are the customs of Valentine's Day in China?

What are the traditional customs of Tanabata in Guangxi? Teacher Lu introduced that there is a custom of "begging for cleverness" in Yulin, Wuzhou, Guigang and other places in Guangxi, and female friends will get together on Qixi night to compete for their own handicrafts. "The foundation of female red is an important basis for judging whether women are smart or not in ancient times." Lu said that folk women usually pray for their intelligence on Qixi night.

In addition to flattering, there is also soaking water. People in Baise and Jingxi of Guangxi believe that the water on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is very holy and clean. The water on Tanabata can not only ward off evil spirits and diseases, but also make them happy in love and life. Therefore, on the same day, people will choose to soak in water to pray. According to Lu's analysis, this custom should be related to the legend that the seven fairies descended to the earth to take a bath, but most of these areas have hot weather, so the influence of environmental factors cannot be ruled out. Wuzhou people also have the custom of soaking in water on Tanabata. According to Mr. Lin, the tour of "Seven Sisters Water" is a traditional program of Wuzhou people in midsummer every year. According to folklore, on Qixi Day, seven fairies will descend from the sky and take a bath by the river. At this time, because the river is polluted with fairy gas, washing will not only bring peach blossom luck, but also prevent diseases. In the old Wuzhou people's word of mouth, this custom has been preserved. Therefore, on the night of Qixi, the swimming pool of Gui Jiang Bridge in Wuzhou is often crowded with people, especially when the bell of the Big Bell Tower strikes zero, waiting for the men, women and children next to Gui Jiang to flock to Gui Jiang, which is the grand occasion of Wuzhou people's water carnival. Wuzhou citizens not only swim, but also take empty bottles to the river to get water and take them home to keep their skin healthy.

Sacrifice is also one of the customs of Valentine's Day in China. In Gaoan Township, Laibin, the 14th day of the seventh lunar month is an important festival for Zhuang people, which lasts for 10 days from the 7th day of July to the 16th day of July, and is considered by local Zhuang people as the day when ghosts return from the underworld. The seventh day of July is the starting point of the "July 14th" festival. On that day, there was a grand ancestor worship ceremony. All kinds of sacrifices such as chicken, pig, rice and tea should be prepared to welcome the deceased ancestors home.