An examination of the origins of Chinese Valentine's Day: How star worship evolved into Chinese Valentine's Day
The origin of the Qixi Festival can be traced back to the star worship in ancient times. The core celestial phenomena are based on Altair and Vega. In the pre-Qin period, "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Dadong" contains the record of "The Weaver Girl has seven crotches all day long", and the record of "Looking at the morning glory and not keeping it in the box". At this time, the two stars have been personified, but the love narrative has not yet been formed. By the Han Dynasty, due to the deep integration of farming civilization and star belief, the love legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl began to take a certain shape. In the "General Meanings of Customs" written by Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there is already a record such as "The Weaver Girl crosses the river on Qixi Festival and uses magpies as bridges", which cleverly links the astrological divisions with human love.
The heyday of festivals in the Tang and Song Dynasties: from court begging to market carnivals
The Qixi Festival reached its heyday during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and its historical evolution fully reflected the inclusiveness and creativity of traditional culture. During the Tang Dynasty, the economy, prosperity, society, customs, customs, openness, enlightenment, Qixi Festival, festival celebrations, ritual processes, procedures, tended to be complicated, lengthy, and complicated. A hundred-foot-high "Qiqiao Tower" would be built in the inner court of the palace, and the concubines would use nine-hole needles to guide the moon. They would compete to "get skills", just like what the poet Lin Jie described in "Begging for Skills", "Every family begs for skills to look at the autumn moon and thread tens of thousands of red silk threads." This vividly reproduces the grand festival ceremony that the whole country was crazy about at that time. In the Song Dynasty, due to the rise of the citizen class, the customs of the Chinese Valentine's Day changed from aristocratic to popular. During the Northern Song Dynasty, "Tokyo Menghua Lu" written by Meng Yuanlao recorded in detail the grand scene of the Qixi Festival in Bianjing. A kind of clay children's statues called "Mohele" were sold on the market, which had the connotation of being suitable for men. Every household would place "skillful fruits" in the courtyard and then hold a begging competition under the moonlight. This formed unique differences in regional customs and the cultural ecology of the market. With such a warm atmosphere and full participation of the people, the Chinese Valentine's Day festival is no longer just a simple star worship event, but has further evolved into a key and important time node that integrates entertainment functions, social attributes, and aesthetic values.
Decoding folk etiquette : diverse presentations of begging , seed production and regional customs
After a long process of historical evolution, the Chinese Valentine's Day has produced rich and rigorous folk etiquette norms with established standards, which are not formed randomly. In addition to the most familiar behavior of "threading a needle on the moon" and begging for luck, there are also many interesting and interesting ritual activities. For example, there is the custom of "those who like spiders should be clever". A woman has to put a spider in a small box the night before. In the morning of the next day, according to the density and roundness of the spider's web, she can use this method to predict her own intelligence. This custom has been recorded in detail in "Jingchu Sui Ji" written by Zong Mao during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In addition, "seeking seeds for children" is also a popular festival ritual in the north. Specifically, before the Chinese Valentine's Day, grains such as mung beans and wheat are soaked in porcelain bowls. When these grains sprout buds several inches long, they are then tied with red and blue silk threads. This is called "seeking children", which embodies the simple wishes of the ancients for family reproduction and a happy life. These so-called folk rituals are not only widely spread in areas where Han people live together, but also have evolved unique regional customs in some areas belonging to ethnic minorities. Ethnic groups such as the Miao and Tujia also have ancient traditions of worshiping ancestors and hoping for good weather around the Chinese Valentine's Day, which fully demonstrates the pluralistic integration of Chinese culture.
The core of cultural spirit : affection and romance in the golden wind and jade dew
Borrowing the solitary and pure artistic conception of "The sky is as cool as water at night" in Du Mu's "Autumn Eve", the philosophical inquiry in Li Shangyin's "Xinwei Qixi" that "it's probably a good time for the immortal family to part ways, so the teachings are far away and the best time to write", and the transcendent and open-minded "if two people are in love for a long time, how can they be together day and night" in Qin Guan's "Magpie Bridge Immortal", literati in the past dynasties continued to use poetry to endow this festival with philosophical speculations that transcend love itself. There is a value judgment that says, "When gold, wind , jade and dew meet, they will overcome countless human beings." In this way, it has shaped the unique emotional cognition of the Chinese nation, which means cherishing the eternity of the moment and affirming the sublime sense of spiritual unity that transcends physical distance. This spiritual core sublimates worldly love into an affectionate tribute to loyalty, perseverance and hope. It has become the cultural gene and emotional code shared by all Chinese people.
The value connotation of the times and contemporary inheritance and innovation : from traditional festivals to cultural confidence
In the new era, what continues to be excavated and reconstructed during the Qixi Festival is its value connotation of the times. It is not only an object of focus in the protection of intangible cultural heritage, but also a key carrier of strengthening national cultural confidence. Today's contemporary inheritance and innovation are presented in two dimensions. One is the vivid protection of ancient traditional folk etiquette, such as the resurgence of Hanfu begging activities in various places and the public display of traditional handicrafts, which has led to the immersive experience of the younger generation. The second is a modern interpretation of the core of cultural spirit, which transforms the pursuit of exquisite skills and a better life contained in "begging for skills" into the craftsmanship spirit and motivation for contemporary people's pursuit of excellence. What we have discovered, as we sort out the literary and historical research on Qixi Festival, is that the vitality of the festival lies in its continued dialogue with the times. When we look up at the stars again, the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is no longer just a simple ancient legend. It has turned into a power with the ability to travel through time and space. This power reminds us that in the fast-paced modern life, we still have to cherish the deep love and romance that have never changed, and this is precisely the most precious spiritual gift given to us by the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
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