Chinese Valentine’s Day, Qixi falls on the seventh day of the seventh month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, whose name is “七夕” (Qixi), typically fall in the month of August. Chinese Valentine’s Day originated from a romantic fable about two lovers: the seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven and a simple cowherd. It is said that the cowherd from the mundane world and weaving goddess from heaven loved each other. But love between the goddess and human beings was forbidden.
The Story
Long ago, there was a boy, clever, diligent and honest. Orphaned at an early age, he was very poor. However, he adopted an abandoned old buffalo, which proved to be very loyal and helped him a lot. The two enjoyed a good relationship so villagers came to know him by the name of the Cowherd.
At the same time, the youngest of the seven celestial princesses had grown tired of the secluded life in the heavenly palace. She longed for a mundane life she often saw down beneath her. That was a very pervert idea to cherish in heaven. Yet, determined to pursue her own happiness, she sneaked out and descended onto the earth and to the sudden happiness of the Cowherd with whom she had fallen in love.
They married and had a lovely boy and a girl. While the Cowherd worked in the fields with his old pal the buffalo, the heavenly princess weaved at home to help support the family. Villagers all admired her excellent weaving skill. She was now well-known as the Weaving Girl.
The family lived peacefully and happily until the girl‘s celestial royal family found her missing and traced her to the village. (By the way, it is popularly believed that a day in heaven accounts for years on the earth. The years she had spent with the Cowherd was but a day or so by the celestial calendar.)
Her mother, the celestial empress was in such a wrath that she gave her daughter only two choices: to go back home or see her husband and children destroyed. She had no choice but to leave.
The old buffalo suddenly began to speak to the astonished young man, saying that he was dying in no time and asking him to use his hide as a vehicle to catch up with his wife. And off he sailed to heaven taking his young son and daughter in two baskets.
Love Bridges
Fearing that the young man would catch up, the empress took out her hair spin and drew a big river across the sky, known to the Chinese as the Silvery River (the Milky Way in the West). The empress wanted to separate the family forever however the empress also showed her mercy to the couple. They were permitted to meet once a year, and the cowherd and weaving goddess became the stars of Altair and Vega. They could meet on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month every year. The magpies were moved by their true love and the birds formed a bridge for the couple to meet every year.
The day, 7th July of lunar calendar, became a traditional festival as the story hands down. And impressed by the story, a famous poet in Song Dynasty named Qin Guan wrote a beautiful poem for them:
Clouds float like works of art;
Stars shoot with grief at heart.
Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid,
When autumn’s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade,
All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.
Their tender love flows like a stream;
This happy date seems but a dream.
Can they bear a separate homeward way?
If love between both sides can last for age,
Why need they stay together night and day?
–
Every human will die and every story will be forgotten someday, but the pursuit for love and freedom will never fade.
Qixi Festival Today
The traditional festival celebrates the once a year meeting of the weaver girl and the cowherd in Chinese mythology, whose forbidden love had them banished to opposite sides of the sky. Their beautiful tale is wildly known in China and the Qixi festival is passed down as a tradition from generation to generation. Every year on the Qixi Festival, many lovers would pray for their love and happiness. Today in China, lovers release hung ming lanterns, and make good wishes of faithful love between them. Qixi Festival is celebrated in various ways and getting hitched in a group wedding ceremonies are widely practiced.
Celebrations in Singapore
In Singapore, Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’;s Day) also known as the Seven Maidens’ Festival was popularly celebrated in the 1920s to the 1060s. Chinatown would be brightly lit. This festival was of special significance to single females, who would pray for a good husband and a happy marriage.
Flower Bouquet
Today, Chinese Valentine’s Day has become increasing popular in recent years for young men to give flowers to their loved ones. Why not celebrate Valentine’s day twice in a year? Chinese Valentine’s day gives the guys another attempt at love for the year. Celebrate this day with your love one with Chinese Valentine Flowers today. Fresh flowers are still the most common and meaningful gift for Chinese Valentine’s Day. We hand crafted a collection of bouquets specially for flower delivery – of Chinese valentine bouquets for this special occasion.
These are the dates for Chinese Valentine’s Day:
2021: 14 Aug
2022: 04 Aug
2023: 22 Aug
Happy Chinese Valentine’s Day to everyone and hope the world would be just like the old saying, all shall be well, and Jack shall have Jill.
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