Qixi is a traditional festival with a long history, which sprouted in the Spring and Autumn Warring States, formed in the Han and Wei Dynasties, and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Ancient women would "beg" the weaver girl on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, begging for wisdom and ingenuity, and asking for a happy marriage. Tanabata was endowed with the legend of the cowherd weaver girl and became a festival symbolizing love. At the time of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Qixi Begging was quite grand, and there was also a market in the capital that specialized in begging goods, which was called Qiqiao City in the world. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tanabata has been a general festival and has not stood out in traditional social life. Since the end of the 20th century, Western festival culture has entered China, which is very attractive to young people who are chasing new ideas, and Valentine's Day is sought after by young people. In 2005, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference proposed that Tanabata be designated as a chinese lovers' day. These views reflect the attitude of people to use traditional festivals to promote national culture and serve contemporary society. At the same time, some young people who are keen on traditional culture confirm their love loyalty with the love story of the cowherd weaver girl, and use Tanabata as an opportunity for them to express their love. The theme of tanabata has undergone historical changes such as star sacrifice, happiness begging, and human competition. In some areas, Qixi also becomes an adult festival, and standard or similar coming-of-age ceremonies are held on Tanabata, such as the Little Man Festival in Shitang, Zhejiang Province, and the Beggars Festival in Longnanxihe, Gansu, which represent the traditional Tanabata ceremonies for men and women held in the north and south.
Tanabata customs
Needle begging
Customs in the Chinese era. It is held every year on the seventh day of July. On the night of Tanabata, a woman holding a five-colored silk thread and a continuous arrangement of nine-hole needles (or five-hole needles and seven-hole pillows) takes advantage of the moonlight to continuously thread the needles and leads the moon, and the person who quickly passes through all the threads is called "deqiao". It shows the wisdom and ingenuity and life aspirations of the working people in ancient China.
Happy spider should be coincidental
"Happy spider should be coincidental" roughly began in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Southern Dynasty Liang Zongyi's Records of the Jing Chu Dynasty says: "It is the night, Chen Guaguo begs in the court. There is a happy subnet on the melon to think that it should be a sign. The Fifth Dynasty Wang Renyu's "Testament of Kaiyuan Tianbao" said: "On the seventh day of July, each one caught spiders in a small locket, until dawn opened; The secret ones speak more skillfully, and the rare ones speak less skillfully. Folk also do the same."
Needle casting
"Needle testing": First prepare a basin, put it in the patio, and pour in the "Mandarin Duck Water", that is, mix the water taken during the day with the water taken at night. However, it is often mixed with river water and well water and poured into the basin, and the basin and water should be open for the night, and then the next day, the beginning of July, the sun is basking, and by noon or afternoon, you can "test the coincidence". The original water in the basin, after half a day of sunlight, the surface is still faintly generating a film, so take the lead (that is, the "sewing needle"), gently placed flat on the water surface, the needle will not sink, under the water, there will be a needle shadow, if the needle shadow is a straight one, that is, "beggar" failure, if the needle shadow forms various shapes, or bending, or a thick, thin, or other shape, it is "coincidental".
Sowing and asking for children
Planting and seeking children is a traditional Chinese custom during the Qixi Festival, which is actually one of the fertility beliefs. It pins on the simple aesthetic taste of the Chinese working people and the pursuit of a better life.
A few days before the Tanabata Festival, first apply a layer of soil on a small wooden board, sow the seeds of corn, let it produce green and oily seedlings, and then put some small huts and flowers and trees on it, make it look like a small village in a farmhouse, called "shell board", or soak mung beans, beans, wheat, etc. in a magnetic bowl, wait for it to grow sprouts, and then tie a bunch of red and blue silk ropes, called "seed life", also known as "five life pots" or "raw flower pots".
Folk in various parts of the south are also called "bubble qiao", and the bean sprouts that grow out are called qiao buds, and even replace the needle with the sprouts and throw them on the surface of the water to beg. Various figures, such as cowboys and weaver girls, or the shapes of vultures, mandarin ducks, and other animals, are also used to float on the water, which is called "floating on the water". There are also wax baby dolls, which women buy home and float in the water and soil, thinking that it is the auspiciousness of the yizi, called "metamorphosis".
Celebrate the birthday of the cow
Children will pick wildflowers on tanabata and hang them on the horns, also known as "celebrating the birthday of the cow". Because legend has it that after the Queen Mother of the West used the Tianhe River to separate the weaver girl, the old cow let the cowherd cross the Tianhe River to see the weaver girl, let the cowherd cut off its skin, and drove its cowhide to meet the weaver girl. In order to commemorate the sacrifice spirit of the old cow, people have the custom of "celebrating the birthday of the cow".
Drying clothes and books
According to the Book of Jin, Sima Yi was quite suspicious of Cao Cao because of his high position of power, and in view of the darkness of the politics at that time, in order to protect himself, he pretended to be crazy and hid at home. Cao Cao was not reassured, so he sent a close confidant, Ling Shi, to secretly investigate the truth. It was July 7, and Sima Yi, who was pretending to be crazy, was also drying books at home. Ling Shi went back to report to Cao Cao, who immediately ordered Sima Yi to return to his post, or he would be taken into custody immediately. Sima Yi had no choice but to obediently obey the order to return to the dynasty. There is another kind of person, in the chaotic world, to express the depression in the heart with a wandering skeleton. They flouted etiquette and opposed the customs. Volume 25 of Liu Yiqing's "New Languages of the World" says that on July 7, everyone was drying books, only Hao Long ran to lie down in the sun, and when people asked him why, he replied: "I dry books." On the one hand, this is to despise the custom of drying books, and on the other hand, it is also to boast of the talents in one's belly. Drying your belly is also drying books.
All kinds of interesting Tanabata customs embody people's simple feelings of pursuing a happy life, and also add rich and diverse colors to China's folk festivals.
Offerings to grind and drink pleasure
Transliteration of Sanskrit mahoraga. Originally one of the eight gods of Buddhism, the god Moro. During the Tang and Song dynasties, he was made under his name as an earth puppeteer and offered on Tanabata. Tang Shi was also called "metamorphosis". It is said that the offering is made to pray for the birth of a boy, so it becomes a gift to the in-laws. After becoming a children's toy.
Originating from Buddhism, the "MoKura" evolved into the image of a naïve child after being introduced to China, and became a sacrifice for the "Tanabata" festival. By the Time of the Northern Song Dynasty, this sacrifice evolved into a popular folk doll, with themes involving religious graduation, legends and all levels of society, showing the secular customs of the time.
Worship the Weaver Girl
Worship of the Weaver Girl, a Custom of the Chinese Age, is held every year at the Tanabata Festival. Chinese folklore says that the Weaver Girl is a beautiful, intelligent, and skillful fairy, and the women of the mortal world beg her for wisdom and ingenuity on this night, and they cannot help but ask her for a happy marriage, pinning on the Chinese working people's yearning for a happy life and simple aesthetic taste.
Bye Que Star
Worship of Kuixing is an ancient Chinese folk custom and folk belief activity. July 7 is the birthday of KuiXing, and Chinese folk call it "Kuixing's main literary affair". Readers around the eastern Fujian region have a custom of "worshiping kuixing" on the "Tanabata" and pray for their own luck and prosperity. Kui Star is the first star of the Big Dipper. In ancient times, when the emperor was called "The Great Que Tianxia Corporal" or "Won the Championship in One Fell swoop", it was because the KuiXing was in charge of the examination luck. The ceremony of "worshiping KuiXing" is also held in the moonlight, in the area of eastern Fujian, "Tanabata" this night, the patio is often placed "Worship Weaver Girl", "Worship Kui Star" two incense cases, ladies gather together, and are divided into two small worlds with relatively different genders, very lively and interesting.
Eat the fruit
Legend has it that because in the past, girls wanted to be able to be skillful before they married, so they prayed in this way to pray for the weaver girl to send the clever, hoping that the weaver girl could also give herself a pair of skillful hands, so the clever fruit was born. Qiao Guo, also known as "Beggar Fruit", is a kind of fried snack, there are many varieties, the main raw materials are oil, noodles, sugar, honey. In the "Tokyo Dream Record", it is called "laughing jing'er" and "fruit and flower". Because "Qiao" and "Bridge" are harmonious, people believe that eating Qiao Guo on The Seventh of July will not only help Niu Lang and Weaver Girl meet on the Queqiao Bridge, but also their wishes can be realized through "Qiao" (Bridge). All of the above are from the Internet.
Bian Aiying Editing