Double Seventh Festival

Double Seventh Festival, known as Chinese Valentine's Day, is a traditional festival celebrated by Han People in Lunar July, 07th since ancient China. It’s a festival full of romance, and really important to young girls in ancient China.

The topic of the Double Seventh Festial is a myth of love story happened between the Cowherd and Weaver Maid, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

Long long ago, there was a Cowhand named Niu lang, whose parents died in an early age, and he lived with his elder brother and vicious sister-in-law. Later he was driven out of his home with only one accompanier, a old cow. However, the magic cow knew some secrets of the Heaven and with its help, Niulang married the fairy, Zhi Nv(Weaver Maid)of the Heaven, then, they lived in a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl.

Unfortunately, the Jade Emperor and Heavenly Queen Mother found the fact and ordered a god to bring the Weaver Maid back to Heaven. With the help of the celestial cattle, the Cowhand flew to the sky with his son and daughter. At the time when he was about to catch up with his wife, The Heavely Queen Mother took off one of her gold hairpins and made a stroke, one billowy river(the Milky Way)appeared in front of the Cowhand and separated them on the two banks forever. However, they refused to leave in years. The moved tens of thousands of magpies,came to bulid a bridge for the cowhand and weaver maid to meet each other. At last, the moved Heaven
ly Queen Mother allowed them to meet each other on the Lunar July,07th .Hence their meeting date has been called "Qi Xi" (Double Seventh).

Ceremonies to worship Weaver Maid

It’s a matter of young girls and young married women. 5-10 people were appointed several days before the Double Seventh Festival, and they fasted on bread and water and took a bath at the day of Double Seventh Festival until the night. At night they would assemble at the host house around a table under the moonlight, ate the peanut, melon seeds, and made wishs to the Weaver Maid in hearts.

Ceremonies to worship the gods of Kui Xing.

Since the Song dynasty, people believed that Lunar July.07th was the birthday of the gods of Kui Xing(the four stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper), in charge of the fame, health, scholarly honour or official rank in fedual times, so the intellectuals held solemn ceremonies to worship the Kui Xing in Lunar July.07th.