The Qixi Festival

The Qixi Festival is the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day. The annual holiday is a celebration of a popular myth that tells of the meeting between a weaver girl and a cowherd who fall in love. It’s held each summer in August and is a popular day among lovers and friends.

The story is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in that the two protagonists are trapped in a forbidden love and must fight to stay together. It’s said the lovers were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River, and could only reunite for one day a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. Today, the lovers are represented in the night sky by the stars Altair and Vega.

The resulting festival has been held since the Han Dynasty. Since the woman in the story was a weaver, the festival has traditionally been used as an opportunity for young girls to make trinkets and ornaments to showcase their worth as a wife. Thankfully, that tradition has kind of gone out the window. Nowadays people celebrate the holiday by enjoying fruit pastries, burning incense and participating in needlework competitions for fun. Of course, plenty of couples use it as a date night and enjoy an evening together eating out or just spending time together.

In some parts of China you’ll find vibrant decorations, parties and plenty of deals on dining and gifts.