How much do you know about Qixi Festival or the Chinese Valentine’s Day? Its Chinese name is 七夕节 (Qīxī Jié), or Double Seven Festival, and this week we look at the story behind it and share some insights on why it’s been so popular in China.

七夕节 | The Story Behind Qixi Festival

When Is Qixi Festival Celebrated?

Qixi is celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Lunar calendar. In 2023, it falls on August 22, Tuesday.

Origins: Qiqiao Festival

In the beginning, this festival served quite a different purpose: it was the day when girls showcased their needlework skills. They also prayed to Goddess Zhinü for ingenuity, that’s why the original name of this festival was 乞巧节 (Qǐqiǎo Jié), literally, “ingenuity-begging-festival”.

Love story: Weaver Girl & Cowherd

The two protagonists in the story behind Qixi Festival are ‪织女 (Zhīnǚ), the Weaver Girl, and 牛郎 (Niúláng‬), the Cowherd.

Once upon a time, there was a fairy called ‪织女 (Zhīnǚ)‬, or literally, “weaving-girl”. She came from the family of the powerful Jade Emperor in Heaven.

One day, she went down to Earth with her friends. There she met a boy called ‪‎牛郎 (Niúláng‬), literally “cowherd-boy”. They instantly fell in love with each other. Zhīnǚ decided to stay on Earth and got married to Niúláng‬ without her family’s permission. They lived together for several years and gave birth to two kids.

Unfortunately, her family found out about it and got very angry, because it was unacceptable for a fairy to get married to a human. So, the Jade Emperor took her from their house and brought her back to Heaven.

To stop Zhīnǚ from going out again, he created the Milky Way (银河 Yínhé) to separate the lovers. The lovers could no longer see each other. Zhīnǚ would spend all day crying on the other side of the Milky Way.

The sound of her crying was felt by the whole world. On the 7th day of the 7th month, thousands of magpies gathered together and used their bodies to build a bridge to the Milky Way. Then Niúláng‬ and Zhīnǚ could meet on the bridge! From then on, this day became the only time of the year when they could be with each other again.

Celebrating Qixi Festival Today

In the modern day and age, couples in China celebrate Qixi Festival just like they would celebrate Valentine’s Day — by giving gifts, flowers & chocolate, and going on romantic dates. And, of course, by sending their Qixi wishes!

七夕节快乐！
Qīxī Jié kuài lè!
Happy Qixi Festival!

Take It Further

Do you know any typical features of Chinese people’s personality? Have you ever heard about key aspects of Chinese drinking culture?

Visit out blog to learn more interesting facts about Chinese culture and traditions.