Customs: "Yueman Qingyou Tu": Tongyin begging for skills and threading needles to beg for skills. This is the earliest way of begging for skills, which started in the Han Dynasty and spread to later generations. "Miscellaneous Notes of Xijing" says: "The colorful girls of the Han Dynasty often pierced the seven-hole needle in the Kaijin Tower on July 7th, and people practiced it." Liang Zongmou of the Southern Dynasties, "Jingchu Years' Notes" said: "July 7th is the evening The women of the Qi Dynasty used gold and silver stones as needles to thread the needles through seven holes. "Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties" "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" said: "On Qixi Festival, the palace is built with brocade, a hundred feet high, which can accommodate dozens of people. Melons and fruits are cooked with wine, and seats are set up to worship the cow girl. Two stars, each with a nine-hole needle and five colored threads, are pierced towards the moon. The one who passes by will be a lucky prince, and the music of the Qing Dynasty will be played, and the feast will be celebrated. "Yuan Tao Zongyi's "Yeting Lu". " said: "Jiuyin Terrace is a place for begging for luck on Chinese Valentine's Day. On the evening of the evening, the palace maids go on the stage and thread the nine-tailed needle with colorful silk. Those who finish it first are said to have gained luck, and those who finish it late are said to have lost luck. Each of them contributes money to give to the one who gets luck." Happy Spider Yingqiao This is also an earlier way of begging for skills. Its custom is slightly later than threading needles and begging for skills, and it roughly started in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Liang Zongmao of the Southern Dynasty said in "The Chronicles of Jingchu's Age": "It was evening, and melons and fruits were laid out in the courtyard to beg for luck. If there were happy nets on the melons, they would be lucky." Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties said in "The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao": "July 7 Each one catches spiders in small boxes until they open at dawn; if the spider webs are dense, they will be clever. If the spider webs are dense, they will be clever, and if they are sparse, they will be clever. This is also the case among the people. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, "put a small spider inside the egg and look at it the next day. If the web is round, it is called a coincidence." Song Zhoumi's "Qian Chun Sui Sui Ji" said: "Put the small spider inside and wait for the web to be built. "How long does it take to get a coincidence by how dense it is?" Ming Tian Rucheng said in "Xi Chao Joy" that on Chinese Valentine's Day, "Put a spider in a small box, and watch the density of its web the next morning to see how many coincidences you have." This shows that the method of testing cleverness in the past dynasties. Differently, the Southern and Northern Dynasties looked at the presence or absence of the net, the Tang Dynasty looked at the denseness of the net, and the Song Dynasty looked at the roundness of the net. Later generations mostly followed the customs of the Tang Dynasty. Throwing a Needle to Test Skills This is a variant of the Chinese Valentine's Day custom of needlework and begging for skills. It originates from needlework but is different from needlework. It is a popular Chinese Valentine's Day custom in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Liu Tong and Yu Yizheng of the Ming Dynasty wrote in their "Scenery of the Imperial Capital": "On the afternoon of July 7th, a skillful needle was thrown. A woman was exposed to a lot of water in the middle of the day, and after a while, the water film formed on her face. When the embroidery needle was thrown into it, it floated, and she looked at the bottom of the water. "Needle shadow. If there are shadows of clouds, flowers, heads, birds, and beasts, or shadows of shoes and scissors, it is called begging for skill. The shadow is as thick as a hammer, as thin as silk, and as straight as a shaft of wax." This is a sign of clumsiness. "Zhili Zhishu" also says that in Liangxiang County (today's southwest of Beijing), "On July 7, women beg for skills, throw needles into the water, use the shadow of the sun to check their workmanship, and at night they are still begging for skills from the Weaver Girl." Please refer to Yu Minzhong's " "Rixia Jiuwen Kao" quoted from "Wanshu Miscellaneous Notes": "On July 7th, the women of Yandu poured bowls of water into the sun. Each of them dropped a small needle and floated it on the water surface, and slowly looked at the shadow of the sun on the bottom of the water. Some were scattered like flowers, or moved like clouds. It is as thin as a thread and as thick as a cone, because of the skill of divination. "In the old custom of seeking children by seeding, a few days before Chinese Valentine's Day, one would first spread a layer of soil on a small wooden board and sow corn seeds so that they would grow green. Tender seedlings, and then put some small huts, flowers and trees on them to make it look like a small village in a farmhouse, called a "shell board", or soak mung beans, adzuki beans, wheat, etc. in a magnetic bowl, and wait until it grows an inch. The buds are then tied into a bunch with red and blue silk ropes, which are called "seeds", also called "five-life pots" or "flower pots". It is also called "Paoqiao" in various parts of the south, and the bean sprouts that grow are called Qiaoya. They even replace the needles with Qiaoya and throw them on the water to beg for Qiao. Various figures are also made of wax, such as the characters in the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, or the shapes of vultures, mandarin ducks, and other animals, and placed on the water to float, which is called "floating on water." There are also wax baby dolls that women buy and float at home, thinking they are auspicious for having a child, and they are called "huasheng". Enshrining "Mohele" Mohele is a children's plaything during the Chinese Valentine's Day in the old days. It is a small clay doll. Its image is mostly a half-armed dress with a lotus leaf and a lotus leaf in its hand. Every year on July 7th, in Kaifeng's "Panlou Street, the tiles outside Dongsong Gate, the tiles outside Zhouxiliang Gate, the North Gate, South Zhuquemen Street and Maxing Street all sell grinding and drinking music. Small plastic clay ears." In fact, the grinding music made later in the Song Dynasty was no longer a small clay doll. On the contrary, it became more and more refined. The size and posture of Mohele vary. The largest one is as high as three feet, which is as high as a real child. The materials used include carved ivory or dragon-flavored Buddha's hand incense. The decorations of Mohele are even more exquisite, with painted wood carvings as railings or red sand and green cages as covers. , the toys in their hands are often decorated with gold, jade and precious stones, and a pair of toys often cost thousands of dollars. Kesi Qixi Begging for Skills and Worshiping the Weaver Girl "Worshiping the Weaver Girl" is purely a matter for girls and young women. Most of them make appointments with their friends or neighbors in advance for five or six people, or as many as ten people, to hold the event jointly. The ceremony is to set up a table under the moonlight, with tea, wine, fruits, five seeds (longans, red dates, hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds) and other sacrifices on the table; there are also a few flowers, tied with red paper, and placed in bottles. , a small incense burner is placed in front of the flowers. Then, make an appointment for the young women and girls who are going to worship Weaver Girl to fast for a day, take a bath, and come to the host's house on time. After burning incense in front of the table and worshiping, everyone sits around the table, eating peanuts, melon seeds, and Looking towards the constellation of the Vega, silently reflect on your thoughts. For example, if girls want to be beautiful or marry a good man, and if young women want to have a baby early, they can pray silently to Vega. Play until midnight and then break up. Worshiping Kuixing: According to popular legend, July 7th is Kuixing’s birthday.

Kuixing is an important figure in literary affairs. Scholars who want to gain fame especially respect Kuixing, so they must worship Kuixing on the Chinese Valentine's Day and pray for him to bless them with good luck in examinations. Kuixingye is Kuiduxing, the Kuixing in the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the first star of the Big Dipper, also the Kuixing or the leader. In ancient times, when scholars won the top prize, they were called "Dakui Tianxiashi" or "won the first prize in one fell swoop" because Kuixing was in charge of examination luck. According to folklore, Lord Kuixing was very ugly, with spots on his face and a lameness. Someone wrote a limerick to make fun of him: If you don't show it, what's the use of decorating it with lead? Even if it's lead, don't cover it up. Marrying Magu makes two beauties, and the results of the hive are perfect. There are claws below the eyebrows, and geese are treading on the sand beside the mouth and nose. Don't be tempted to take a nap in front of the eaves, while the wind blows plum blossoms from your forehead. Xiangjun's jade toe is the most bizarre, one step up and one step down. The body feels like dancing when the movements are moving, and the movements are as fluttering as the mouth. Just because the road in this world is full of dangers, I am so tired that all my beauty is gone. Moxiao's waist branches are often half-folded, and sometimes they sway in various ways. However, this Mr. Kuixing was very ambitious and worked hard, and he even passed high school. During the emperor's palace examination, he was asked why his face was covered with spots, and he replied: "The pockmarked face is full of stars." When asked why his feet were lame, he replied: "One-legged jump from the Dragon Gate." The emperor was very satisfied and admitted him. Another completely different legend says that although Master Kuixing was full of knowledge during his lifetime, he failed every exam, so he committed suicide by drowning himself in the river in grief and anger. Unexpectedly, he was rescued by a turtle and ascended to heaven to become the Kuixing. Because Kuixing can influence the scholar's luck in examinations, every July 7th, his birthday, scholars solemnly worship him. It is reported that Sima Yi was jealous of Cao Cao due to his high position and power. In view of the political darkness at that time, in order to protect himself, Sima Yi pretended to be crazy and hid at home. Emperor Wu of Wei was still not at ease, so he sent a close aide named Ling Shi to secretly investigate the truth. It was July 7th, and Sima Yi, who was pretending to be crazy, was also posting books at home. He ordered Shi to go back and report to Emperor Wu of Wei. Emperor Wu of Wei immediately ordered Sima Yi to return to the court to serve, otherwise he would be imprisoned. Sima Yi just obeyed the order and returned to the court. There is another kind of person who, in troubled times, expresses his depression by being dissolute. They despise etiquette and oppose current customs. Volume 25 of Liu Yiqing's Shishuoxinyu says that on July 7, everyone was posting books, but only Hao Long ran to lie down in the sun. When people asked him why, he replied: "I post books." On the one hand, this is to despise the custom of posting books, on the other hand, it is to show off one's inner talents. Showing your belly means showing your books. The custom of drying clothes in the Han Dynasty created opportunities for wealthy families to show off their wealth during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Ruan Xian, one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove", looked down upon this style of work. On July 7, when his neighbor was drying his clothes, he saw that the shelves were full of Lingluo silk and satin, which was dazzling. Ruan Xian calmly picked up a shabby piece of clothing with a bamboo pole. When someone asked him what he was doing, he said: "I can't escape from the vulgarity, let's talk about it!" Judging from these few stories, we know that the Chinese Valentine's Day was the time to post books. , How old is the custom of drying clothes. Celebrating the Cow’s Birthday Children will pick wild flowers and hang them on the cow’s horns on Chinese Valentine’s Day, which is also called “celebrating the cow’s birthday”. Because it is said that after the Queen Mother of the West separated the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl with the Tianhe River, in order to allow the Cowherd to cross the Tianhe River to meet the Weaver Girl, Lao Niu asked the Cowherd to peel off its skin and drive its cowhide to see the Weaver Girl. In order to commemorate the sacrifice spirit of the old cow, people have the custom of "celebrating the cow's birthday". Eating Qiaoguo Qiaoguo is the most famous festival food on Chinese Valentine's Day. Qiaoguo, also known as "Qiaoguo", comes in many styles. The main ingredient of Qiao Guo is oily molasses. In "Tokyo Menghua Lu", they are "laughing tired children" and "fruit eating patterns", and the patterns include Na Xiang, Fang Sheng, etc. During the Song Dynasty, Qixi Qiaoguo was already sold on the streets. If you buy a pound of Qiaoguo, there will also be a pair of them wearing battle armor, such as door god dolls, known as the "Fruit Eater Generals". The method of making Qiaoguo is: first put the sugar in a pot and melt it into syrup, then add flour and sesame seeds, mix well and spread it out on the table to thin, let it cool and then cut it into long cubes with a knife, and fold it into a spindle shape. Dough-fry the dough until golden brown. Women with skillful hands can also shape various patterns related to the legend of the Chinese Valentine's Day. In addition, the fruits used in begging can also be varied. Some fruits are carved into exotic flowers and birds, or patterns are embossed on the surface of the melon skin. Called "Huagua", Qiaoguo and Huagua are the most common Chinese Valentine's Day foods. In history, each dynasty had different food customs. For example, it was popular in the Wei Dynasty to serve soup cakes on July 7th. The festival foods of the Tang Dynasty included cutting cakes on July 7th, and designated July 7th as the book-drying festival. Three provinces and six ministries or less would each be given a certain amount of gold to prepare for the banquet, which was called the "book-drying party". Chinese Valentine's Day is also a suitable day for dispensing medicine. It is said that there is a secret recipe using pine and cypress as medicinal materials. This magical pill is made from the dew on July 7th. Taking one pill can extend your life by ten years, and taking two pills can extend your life by twenty years. In addition, there are also pine nuts, cypress seeds, lotus leaves, etc., all of which are called elixirs of immortality. The more practical prescriptions include sun-drying sophora japonica juice to treat hemorrhoids, frying bitter melon to treat eyes, picking melon stems to treat diarrhea, and so on. Only those who have tried it will know how effective it is. Nowadays, in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and other places in Zhejiang, on the Chinese Valentine's Day, people will make various small items with flour, fry them in oil pans and call them "Qiaoguo". In the evening, Qiaoguo, lotus root, white lotus root, red water chestnut, etc. are placed in the clean courtyard, and relatives and friends at home sit together. [Edit this paragraph] Weird Customs: Worship the Seventh Sister in Guangdong - Qinianghui In Guangdong, the most important thing about the Qixi Festival was in the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and there were many interesting customs spread. Qu Dajun's "Guangdong New Language" has recorded the grand occasion of the "Qiniang Hui" in the early Qing Dynasty. During the Republic of China, many interesting customs were spread. Qu Dajun's "Guangdong New Language" has already recorded the grand occasion of the "Qiniang Hui" in the early Qing Dynasty, which is often called "Worship the Seventh Sister" among the people.

According to the memories of old people who participated in the "Worship the Seventh Sister" event during the Republic of China, "Worship the Seventh Sister" was particularly popular in the Xiguan area of ??Guangzhou. The activity is usually carried out among young girls and young women (men and elderly women can only watch from the sidelines and worship at the same time). A dozen of their best sisters are organized in advance to prepare for the "Seventh Sister Worship". In June, some Rice, wheat grains, mung beans, etc. are soaked in porcelain bowls and allowed to germinate. As Chinese Valentine's Day approaches, we get even busier. We have to raise some money and ask family members to help us build a magpie bridge with bamboo strips and paper and make various exquisite handicrafts. On the night of the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Eight Immortals table is set up in the hall, tied with an embroidered table skirt (table skirt), and various colorful flower and fruit products and women's red crafts are displayed to show off the skills of the daughters. There are rice seedlings and bean sprouts trays surrounded by paper-cut red flower ribbons. Oil lamps are lit in the trays, and the light shines through the painted tissue paper lampshades, which are eye-catching. There are carefully arranged flower arrangements, including orchid, jasmine, jasmine and other fragrant flowers. Flowers are placed in copper and porcelain vases; lotuses, roses, night lilies, and camellias as big as teaspoons are placed in small pots. One real one matches the fake one, and it is difficult to tell whether it is real or fake; there are also apples, peaches, persimmons, etc. Fruit plates are cut and stacked into various shapes of birds and animals; embroidered dresses, shoes, socks and flower clogs that are several inches long; small tents, sheets, curtains and table skirts woven and embroidered with gold and silver colored threads; fans the size of fingernails, Handkerchief; use small wooden boards to spread soil and plant seedlings of beans and millet, and build pavilions and pavilions made of fine wood. In short, the more detailed it is, the more ingenious it looks. They also used rice grains, sesame seeds, rush wicks, and colored paper to make various forms of towers, tables and chairs, vase stoves, flowers and fruits, the four treasures of the study, and offerings made of madou with various patterns and characters; they also hung glass or candles. Colored paper lanterns, palace lanterns, pomelo peel and eggshell lanterns (with landscapes, flowers and birds carved on them), and animal-shaped lanterns. The most endearing ones are the exquisite dolls made of colorful silk by the daughters, that is, rag dolls. The chicks have the images of the Cowherd, the Weaver Girl and a pair of children, and are usually placed on the upper level. At the bottom are the images of children playing the flute, playing the piano and dancing, to celebrate the meeting of the two stars. There are also complete sets of drama character images such as "West Chamber", "Red Mansion" and "Yang Clan Female General" (as well as porcelain dolls, which parents buy for their children as holiday gifts). In addition, of course, it is indispensable to display cosmetics, such as small rouge boxes, mirrors, colored combs, velvet flowers, makeup powder, etc., both for the use of the Weaver Girl and the daughters themselves. There are also wax fruits, small animals, etc. In addition, there are sweet and salty snacks, tea, wine, melon seeds, peanuts and other foods. Indispensable are candlesticks, incense burners, incense candles, and lighting with the best sandalwood. On the night of Chinese Valentine's Day, daughters should dress up as much as they can, bathe in Tianhe water, wash their hair, then put on brocade skirts, coats, cheongsams, buns on their hair, and put on white orchids, jasmine and other flower ornaments; Red lips and forehead prints; nails dyed with impatiens juice. After being dressed up like this, the daughters descended to earth like fairies one by one, sitting around the table of the Eight Immortals and beside the Magpie Bridge, playing various games: entertaining themselves, reciting poems and answering questions, giving orders and guessing riddles, and threading needles to worship and beg for cleverness; Point to the Big Dipper and the Double Star in the sky (it is said that the Weaver Girl is one of the seven-star sisters) and the twin stars, and tell the story of the Cow Girl, poems and allusions; or invite a singer to sing Cantonese opera, play Ba music, etc., and the daughters also play Qin Xiao etc. musical instruments. At this time, people can go to various houses to see the begging tables. Even though there are many people, the host is still happy to entertain them. The celebrations last until twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, which is the auspicious time for the Weaver Girl to descend to earth. At this time, all the lights and incense candles are lit, and it is colorful and brilliant. The girls are in high spirits, working hard to welcome the Seventh Sister, and there is a roar of joy everywhere. After a final feast, they dispersed. As the Qing Dynasty poet Wang Lun (name of the legendary fish) said in his "Yangcheng Chinese Valentine's Day Bamboo Branch Poems": "The embroidered Yao Fei blooms one after another, and the flowers serve as a barrier and the jade serves as a platform. Lan Qiao, a young girl from Qingxi, comes to beg for a date." Guangzhou - Qijie's Birthday In the old days in Guangzhou, the Qiqiao Festival was very lively. Liu Kezhuang, a man from the Song Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "Melons and fruits are celebrated with hands and fists, and throats are thick and smooth to sing. Cantonese people pay special attention to Qiaoxi, and the lights are on till dawn." Before people come to the festival, girls prepare all kinds of ingenious toys in advance. Various flowers, fruits, ladies, utensils, palace models and other objects are made from grass, colored paper, sesame seeds, rice grains, etc. Soak grain seeds and mung beans in a small box to allow them to germinate. When the sprouts grow to more than two inches long, they are used to worship gods, which are called "worshiping grass" and "worshiping vegetables". On the night of Chinese Valentine's Day (most people in Guangzhou start from the sixth night to the seventh night of the Lunar New Year, two nights in a row), the girls put on new clothes, new jewelry, even their nails are painted red, and then they put on the various items that have been prepared. , such as antiques, flowers, fruits and powder are placed on the Eight Immortals Platform in the hall, and an oil lamp is placed in the middle of the "Xianhe" or "Xiancai". At this time, the halls of wealthy people were decorated with splendid screens and embroidered chairs, while ordinary people tried their best to keep the halls neatly decorated. After everything was arranged, the girls burned incense and candles, knelt down and worshiped the stars, which was called "Welcome to the Immortals". From the third watch to the fifth watch, worship seven times in a row. At this time, in addition to inviting relatives and friends to come as guests, girls who are acquainted and unknown in the neighborhood are also invited to worship God together and watch the crafts and toys. They are happy and lively. The more people praise her, the happier the host girl will be and the more honored she will feel. The girls in Guangzhou said that they can show their skills in front of everyone like this many times in their lives. After worshiping the immortals, the girls hold colored threads in front of the lamp and put the threads through the pinholes (in ancient times, it was called the golden needle to save people). Those who can pass through seven pinholes in one breath are called skillful hands (deqiao), and those who cannot pass through seven are called skillful hands (deqiao). Those with holes and needles will "lose skill". As described by a poet of the Tang Dynasty: "It is easy to thread a needle toward the moon, but difficult to straighten the thread in the wind. I don't know who has the luck. I will try to find out tomorrow."

"Then they burned paper round boxes (dressing boxes), which contained paper clothes, shoes, makeup powder, dressing mirrors, combs, etc., each in seven copies. After the worship ceremony, the The furnishings were left unchanged until the next day (the seventh day of the Lunar New Year) for the girls to visit and comment on. According to some books from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China, the skills displayed by Guangzhou girls during the Chinese Valentine's Day were as big as a grain of grain. There are embroidered shoes, various fans as big as fingernails, exquisite and light little tents, and specially made lotus, jasmine, rose, night lily, etc. The flower pot is only the size of a sprinkling cup, and there are two flowers in the pot. It is difficult to distinguish between true and false. On the seventh night of the Lunar New Year, we continue to worship the gods as we did last night, which is called "Worship the Cowherd". After the Chinese Valentine's Day, the girls give each other the handicrafts and toys. To show friendship. Married women are generally not allowed to participate in the Qixi Festival in Guangzhou. However, newlywed brides must hold a "faithful ceremony" on the first Qixi Festival, that is, on the sixth night of the Lunar New Year, they must sacrifice sacrifices to the gods. In addition to glutinous rice, red eggs, sour ginger, etc. (to get a child), snow pear or sand pear is also added to express the meaning of farewell to Girl's Day. According to the seventeenth volume of "Guangzhou City Chronicle", there is an old custom on the seventh day of the lunar month. Women take a boat trip to Shimen Chenxiangpo. The yacht is decorated with frangipani and jasmine and is called the "Fairy Shower Day". The water in Shimenpo is clear and the two mountains are reflected at sunrise and sunset. Some mirages appear in the sky. Boaters hope to be lucky enough to see the strange appearance, so the girls' Tanabata tour to Shimen Chenxiangpu has become an important part of the festival. It is very lively and has become a festival custom. Jiaxing - Qixi Festival Incense Bridge Festival In Gudoujing Village, Tanghui Township, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, there is a Festival of Incense Bridge Festival. Every year, people come to participate in the festival and build incense bridges using various thick and long wrappings. A bridge about four to five meters long and half a meter wide is made of incense sticks (paper-wrapped incense sticks), with railings attached and decorated with flowers made of five-color threads. At night, people worship the double stars. Praying for good fortune and then burning the fragrant bridge, it symbolizes that the two stars have crossed the fragrant bridge and met happily. This fragrant bridge is derived from the legendary Magpie Bridge in Hunan and Zhejiang - women wash their hair and catch dew. It is also a special custom for women to wash their hair on the Chinese Valentine's Day. This is recorded in Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. For example, "You County Chronicles" in the Xiangtan area of ??Hunan states: "On July 7, women pick cypress leaves and peach branches and boil them in soup to bathe their hair. The famous prose writer Qi Jun (born in Zhejiang) also mentioned that his mother, uncles and other female relatives all bathed their hair on the Chinese Valentine's Day. This custom is probably related to the belief in the "holy water" of the Chinese Valentine's Day. People believe that this day of Chinese Valentine's Day The water from springs and rivers taken from the sky is like the water from the Milky Way. It has the sacred power of cleansing. In some places, it is directly called the "Holy Water of Tiansun (i.e. Weaver Girl)". Therefore, it has special significance for women to wash their hair on this day. It means that if you use the holy water from the Milky Way to clean your hair, you will be protected by the Goddess Weaver. It is also popular to use a basin to catch the dew. It is said that the dew during the Qixi Festival is the tears of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl when they meet. If you wipe it on your eyes and hands, It can make people have sharp eyesight and quick hands. Weifang New Year Painting of Cowherd and Weaver Girl in Jiaodong - Worshiping the Seventh Sister God In Jiaodong area, young women put on new clothes and gather together in the courtyard to sing the song: "The Emperor." Emperor, Emperor of the Earth, I invite my Seventh Sister to go to heaven. I don’t care about your needle, I don’t care about your thread, I have seventy-two good methods. "Qiaohua" is also made in many places. Girls use flour to make cakes and buns with flowers such as peony, lotus, plum, orchid and chrysanthemum (or Qiaoguo), as well as Qiaocai, which is to cultivate malt in a wine cup. (This is the "seed" in the Song Dynasty), using clever fruits and vegetables to worship the Weaver Girl. Southwest China - Nail dyeing is a Chinese Valentine's Day custom spread in southwest China. It is found in many counties in Sichuan Province, as well as in Guizhou and Guangdong. There is also this trend. Young girls in many areas like to wash their hair with tree sap mixed with water during festivals. Legend has it that not only can they stay young and beautiful, but unmarried women can also find a suitable husband as soon as possible. Most people also use flowers and plants to dye their nails. It is a hobby of women and children in festival entertainment, and it is also closely related to the belief in fertility. Guangzhou - The Qiqiao Festival in Guangzhou is unique. Before the festival, girls prepare colorful paper and twigs in advance. , strings, etc., are woven into various ingenious gadgets. Grain seeds and mung beans are also put into small boxes and soaked in water to make them germinate. When the buds grow to more than two inches long, they are used to worship gods, which is called "Worship the Immortal Harvest" and "Worship the Divine Vegetable". Starting from the sixth night to the seventh night, the girls put on new clothes and new jewelry. After everything is arranged, they burn incense and light candles and look at the starry sky. Kneeling down and worshiping is called "Welcome to the Immortal". From the third watch to the fifth watch, they have to pray seven times in a row. After worshiping the immortal, the girls hold colored threads in front of the lamp shadow and pass the thread through the needle holes. It is like being able to pass through seven needle holes in one breath. Those who are clever are called skillful hands, and those who cannot pass through seven pinholes are called losers. After the Chinese Valentine's Day, girls give each other small handicrafts and toys to show their friendship. In the Loess Plateau area, there is also the custom of holding various begging activities on the night of the Chinese Valentine's Day. Women often have to tie up grass figures in colorful clothes, called Qiaogu. They not only offer melons and fruits, but also plant bean sprouts and green onions. After the Chinese Valentine's Day, At night, women from each family hold a bowl of water, cut bean sprouts and green onions, put them into the water, and use the shadows cast by the moon to divine the fate of Qiao Chou. They also thread needles and compete in cutting window grilles. Handy activities.

Guangxi - Water Storage on the Chinese Valentine's Day Some areas in Guangxi have the custom of storing water on the Chinese Valentine's Day. It is believed that bathing with the Double Seventh Water can ward off disasters and diseases. Weak and sick children often tie a red-headed rope with seven knots on this day and wear it around their necks. Pray for good health and good luck. Shandong - Planting clever vegetables to make clever flowers. There are two activities in Rongcheng, Shandong. One is "Qiao Cai", in which girls cultivate malt in wine glasses, and the other is "Qiao Hua", in which girls use flour to shape various kinds of flowers. Food with flowers. Shao Then you can get this undying love for a thousand years. Xianyou, Fujian - Stir-fried soybeans and peanuts with white sugar In Xianyou, every household will make fried beans on this day. The ingredients are white sugar, soybeans, and raw peanuts. The soybeans should be soaked one day in advance, and then half-cooked in a pot the next day and set aside. The peanuts should also be heated in the pot and picked up. Then pour the white sugar into the pot and cook. When the sugar is saccharified, pour in the soybeans and peanuts. Boil together in the pot. This custom has been around for a very long time. The Chinese Valentine's Day in southern Fujian and Taiwan The Chinese Valentine's Day in southern Fujian and Taiwan is also the birthday of the "Seventh Mother". It is very popular among the people to worship the Seventh Mother, an idol who is regarded as protecting the safety and health of children. According to research in the book "Minnan People" by Lin Zaifu, a Taiwanese scholar of southern Fujian origin, people in southern Fujian used to cross the ocean and go to Taiwan or other foreign countries to do business and make a living. Most of them failed to return for many years, so women had to put all their hopes in In children, only with hope can they have the courage to live. Therefore, Qixi Festival, a festival of lovesickness and affection, has evolved into a prayer to the "Seventh Mother" god who protects children. Every year on this day, people come to Qiniangma Temple in small groups to offer flowers, fruits, powder, and sacrifices. On this day, there is also a popular "coming-of-age ceremony" among Taiwanese people. When a child reaches 15 years old, his parents take him to the Qiniangma Temple with offerings to express gratitude to "Qiniangma" for protecting the child through childhood, Childhood and boyhood. On this day, 16-year-olds in Tainan area will "do sixteen" and perform adult rites. Taiwanese people believe that children under the age of 16 are taken care of by the fairy bird in the sky - the mother bird. The Bird Mother was entrusted by the Seventh Mother, therefore, the Seventh Mother became the protector of underage children. After the baby is one year old, the devout mother or grandmother will hold the baby, bring rich sacrifices, plus cockscombs and acanthus, and go to the temple to worship, praying to the Seventh Mother to protect the baby and grow up safely, and use Ancient coins or lock tags are strung with red envelopes and wool and tied around the neck. They wear it until they are 16 years old. Then they take off the lock tag on the Chinese Valentine's Day and go to the temple to thank Qi Niang's mother for her many years of blessing. In addition to paying tribute to the "Seventh Mother" on the Chinese Valentine's Day, some parents also hold banquets with relatives and friends to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony for their children. Although folk Qixi festivals in southern Fujian and Taiwan do not attach much importance to begging for tricks, they do attach great importance to health-care food customs. Every Chinese Valentine's Day, almost every household buys traditional Chinese medicines such as Junzi and pomegranates. For dinner on the Chinese Valentine's Day, I used the purchased Shijunzi to boil eggs, lean pork, pig intestines, crabs, etc. After dinner, I shared pomegranates. Both of these foods have certain repellent properties and are therefore very popular. Interestingly, Taiwanese people are also used to cooking brown sugar-dried rice for the Chinese Valentine’s Day dinner, which also plays an auxiliary role in attracting insects and taking medicine. Why is there such a unique custom? According to legend, it came from Wu Yundong, the famous doctor of the Northern Song Dynasty who was respected on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and was the "Baosheng Emperor". It was the summer of the first year of Jingyou (1034), and a plague was prevalent in southern Fujian. Wu Yundong, a well-meaning famous doctor, led his apprentices to collect medicines to treat the people. He saw that many adults and children were suffering from insect diseases, so he advocated people to buy food such as pomegranates and pomegranates on the Chinese Valentine's Day. Because Qixi Festival is an easy day to remember, it is also the pomegranate season. Therefore, people followed the instructions and did it, which had unexpected health effects. Later, it became a custom and has been followed to this day as southern Fujian immigrated to Taiwan. Because of Wu Yundong's superb medical skills and noble medical ethics, everyone from the royal family to the poor respected him as the God of Medicine.

You can refer to customs