Beijing, August 3 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "Beggars look at the galaxy, both and Qiluo." "The upcoming Tanabata festival is a festival with rich cultural connotations, and a lot of knowledge is interesting and thought-provoking.
Where did Tanabata come from? What are some interesting customs? What is the right word of blessing to say? According to He Shaoya, a lecturer at the School of Sociology at Beijing Normal University, the Qixi Festival originated from the worship of stars. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, the time of Tanabata has been fixed at the seventh day of the first month of July, becoming a folk festival with women as the main body and begging as the main custom.
What does its origin have to do with it?
The beautiful Tanabata is always envisionable. It is understood that it originated from the worship of stars, which is related to the ancient Chinese people's use of stars to judge seasonal and agricultural time. Some scholars have deduced that there was already a cult of Vega at least during the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Infographic: The picture shows the "Worship of the Weaver Girl" ceremony. Photo by Lu Ming
He Shaoya said that Vega belongs to the constellation of Lyra, the second brightest star in the northern night sky, and the ancients used Vega as a symbol of seasonal change very early. The star Altair ( ) , belonging to the constellation Aquila , is second only to Vega in brightness , with the two stars facing each other across the Milky Way.
How has the holiday theme changed?
Over time, Vega and Morning Glory were gradually anthropomorphized. At least in the early years of the Qin Dynasty, the legend of the cowherd weaver girl had become widely popular, but at that time, Tanabata was still a taboo day for folk marriage.
After the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, the theme of Tanabata began to change significantly, from a fierce and evil day to a good and auspicious day. In the Eastern Han Dynasty Ying Shao's "Customs and Traditions", there is a text that reads, "The Weaver Girl Qixi Should Cross the River and Make the Magpie a Bridge".
Was the holiday time fixed?
He Shaoya introduced that before the Han Dynasty, the date of Qixi was about the first day of July, not necessarily the seventh day of july.
After the Han and Wei Dynasties, the time node of Tanabata was gradually fixed, and seasonal customs such as women begging, worshipping weavers, telling the legend of cowherd weavers, and eating qiao fruits were formed.
Are tanabatas other names?
Tanabata is also known as beggar festival, daughter's day, seven sisters birthday, seven ladies' meeting, etc., and its theme has experienced historical changes such as star sacrifice, happiness prayer, worldly competition, and love and happiness.
Infographic: The picture shows the girls dressed in Hanfu showing the most traditional festival cultural content belonging to Tanabata - the sacrifice of stars and beggars. Photo by Liu Kegeng, a reporter of the China News Service
Among them, women begging for blessings is the most common custom of tanabata. The beggar activity is a collective folk education for girls, an important opportunity for their morality, emotions, minds, and skills to be continuously enhanced and improved, and it is also a ritual training for them to achieve identity, enhance role awareness, and move towards socialization.
What are the "Beggars" activities?
There are many ways to beg in ancient times. For example, wearing needles and begging, women in the moonlight, holding five-color silk threads, wearing seven-hole needles (or five-hole needles, nine-hole needles), who can quickly all pass through who "clever", implying that they can become skillful women in the future; Whoever dresses slowly will "lose".
He Shaoya introduced, in addition, there are also "begging" methods such as needle testing, spider-like coincidence, and planting and growing skillfully. The Qing Dynasty poet Wu Manyun has a poetry cloud: "Threading the thread is about next to each other every year, and it will be Yu Qiao to try the needle god." Whoever sees the shadow of the dragon shuttle alone, embroidered with mandarin ducks is not a person. ”
Infographic: The picture shows the people experiencing needle testing. Photo by China News Service reporter Tomita
What other interesting customs are there?
Some other customs of Tanabata are also very interesting. In some parts of Zhejiang and Fujian, it is still a festival for children.
In Shitang Town, Wenling, Zhejiang, Qixi is called "Little Man Festival". On this day, people give birthdays to children aged 1-16, and no matter which day the children are born, they are concentrated on this day to make birthdays.
He Shaoya mentioned that Tanabata also has customs such as exposing scriptures and clothes. The Eastern Han Dynasty's "Four People's Moon Order" records that July "seven days ... Exposing scriptures and clothes, customs are also".
What seasonal delicacies are there?
The more famous Tanabata traditional diet is Qiaoguo. The Northern Song Dynasty Elder Meng's "Tokyo Dream Record" wrote: "July Tanabata ... It is also made of oily molasses as a laughing child, which is called 'fruit food'. ”
In Longyan, Western Fujian, people make a food called "ma cha" during the Tanabata Festival. The main ingredients of the mochi are glutinous rice, peanuts and sesame seeds. Every year, a few days before the seventh day of the first month of July, parents must make or buy hemp to give to their daughters. The mochi symbolizes the blessing of a happy marriage for a small family, and also symbolizes "wealth and prosperity".
Are these psalms related to Tanabata?
From ancient times to the present, there have been many legends related to Tanabata, and there are also many beautiful poems.
Infographic: The picture shows the "beggar" worship. Photo by Zhang Yuan
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the "Nineteen Ancient Poems" appeared in such works: "Roundabout morning glory star, Kyaukgyao River Han girl ... In the middle of the water, the pulse is silent. Since then, many poems have been circulated, such as chanting tanabata customs and conveying the loyal feelings of cowgirls.
There are also works that depict the Tanabata customs in detail. For example, in the Tang Dynasty Shi Yiwu's "Beggar Words": "Beggars look at the galaxy, both and Qiluo." Not too small needle eyes, only the moon is bright. ”
Is it "Chinese Valentine's Day"?
The festive connotation of Tanabata has undergone a process of continuous enrichment and development.
He Shaoya said that Tanabata was originally a sad day full of sorrows and parting, and later evolved into a time when lovers with a certain romantic color get together; What was originally an annual family reunion now places more emphasis on the meeting of the couple.
She believes that Tanabata should not be simply regarded as "Valentine's Day". On the one hand, Qixi has a rich cultural connotation, not only a festival to communicate the feelings of the two sexes and adjust the relationship between the two sexes, but also a traditional festival belonging to Chinese women. At the same time, Tanabata is also a festival to bless children's growth, and its content goes far beyond the cultural meaning of "Valentine's Day".
What is the right word of blessing to say?
He Shaoya said that the Tanabata Festival is mainly related to family relations, especially husband and wife relationships, so traditionally people rarely send blessings to relatives, friends and colleagues during the Tanabata festival. But now, people also regard Tanabata as an important node of emotional communication, and there is nothing wrong with friends wanting to say happy Tanabata Festival.
Moreover, in some areas, Tanabata itself is a festival for women's interaction and children's growth, and locals will also send blessings to their relatives and friends to wish them healthy growth and academic progress. (End)
Source: China News Network