Qixi Festival: The Origin and Customs of This Traditional Festival on the Seventh Day of the Seventh Lunar Month

The Qiqiao Festival, also known as the Qixi Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year. Because the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar differ, the corresponding Gregorian date changes from year to year; to know the exact day, you need to consult that year's almanac for the conversion. The name Qiqiao Festival comes from the ancient custom of women praying to the star Vega for skill and cleverness, so it is also called the Qiqiao Festival or Daughter's Festival.

This festival is closely tied to the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. According to legend, the Weaver Girl was a fairy in heaven who fell in love with a mortal cowherd, but because they were separated by the Milky Way, they could meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month across a bridge formed by magpies. Looking up at the night sky, the ancients wove the story of the stars Altair and Vega into the festival's customs, giving the Qiqiao Festival both a mythological flavor and the mark of an agricultural society that observed the stars to determine the seasons.

In terms of traditional customs, the Qiqiao Festival centers on activities for women. In the old days, women would thread needles and compare their handiwork on this night, praying to the Weaver Girl for deft hands and skill, and they would also set out melons and fruit to worship the stars. In some regions there were also customs such as eating qiaoguo and watching the qiaoyun, or "skillful clouds"; qiaoguo are small pastries made from wheat dough, expressing people's hopes for skillful craftsmanship and a good life.

As times have changed, the Qiqiao Festival is now often seen as a day for expressing love and is called Chinese Valentine's Day, with people exchanging gifts and gathering to celebrate on this day. Yet in essence it remains a traditional festival of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and understanding the origins of customs such as threading needles to pray for skill and worshiping the Weaver Girl allows for a deeper appreciation of the cultural meaning behind the festival.