Chinese Valentine's Day

Although Valentine's Day is celebrated all across the globe, it is celebrated differently in different parts of the world. Every country has their unique way of commemorating Valentine's Day, and the Chinese are no exception. The Chinese Valentine's Day was popularized around late 1990's, and is celebrated in the most traditional manner. On this day, young women display their domestic skills and offer prayers to Niulang and Zhinu. According to the legends, the Qi xi or The Night of Sevens festival was actually initiated by the Han dynasty. The festivities on this day are solemnized with the traditional practices performed by the Chinese women. For example, an unmarried women or a newlywed bride places a wreath on the ground, making an offering of fruits, flowers and makeup powder to Niulang and Zhinu. After the ceremony is accomplished, the facial powder is divided into two halves where the first is sprinkled out and the second is shared among other women in the household. This act is believed to bestow the women with Zhinu's beauty. For more such information, look through the section below and learn the fascinating tales of Chinese Valentine's Day.

The Chinese Valentine Day revolves around the popular love legend of a cowherd, Niu Lang and a weaver girl, Zhi Nu, the seventh and the most beautiful daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. It once so happened that the seven sisters were taking a bath in a lake when Niu Lang spotted them. Mischievous as he was, he came up with the idea to steal the girls' robes. With the help of his oxen, he stealthily removed all the clothes. After their bath, the sisters realized that their clothes were missing and chose the youngest of them, Zhi Nu, to go and plead him to return their clothes. And so, the seventh sister went to beg him for clothes. Seeing her completely naked, the boy fell in love with her and decided to marry her and soon after they exchanged their vows. In the end, the girl proved to be a dutiful wife and even Niu turned out to be a wonderful husband. They lived happily in the company of each other.

However, this irked the Goddess of Heaven, the mother of Zhi Nu. She ordered her to leave her husband, and dutifully return to her task of weaving colorful clouds and rainbows. She separated her daughter from her lover by drawing a line in the sky, which according to the Chinese legends is now known as the 'milky way'. The girl was sent to a nearby star called Vega and her lover was moved to the star, Altair. Thereafter, the sad Zhi Nu kept to herself and weaved clouds. Her lover would look at her from a faraway distance while he took care of their two children, stars and Aquilae.

The magpies looked at them and pitied their condition. Hence, to bring in some hope, these birds got together and formed a bridge between the two. The time was decided and the seventh night of the seventh lunar month was set as the day when Zhi Nu would come down to meet her lover Niu Lang. The Chinese believe that if it rains on Valentine's Day, it is not the water drops but the tears of this beautiful couple that falls down on the earth.