Why is Tanabata also called "Daughter's Day"?

The Tanabata Festival, also known as the Beggar's Day, was also called the Daughter's Day in ancient times.

The Tanabata festival has a very close relationship with women, and in ancient times, the Tanabata activities were centered on young girls, so it was also known as the "Daughter's Day" or "Maiden's Day".

Legend has it that this day is the day the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden magpie bridge will meet, the night of the Tanabata, the magpie bridge into the painting screen, beg for coincidence to send a long time, the ancient Tanabata customs, praying for a happy marriage at the same time, the girls also hope that they can be like the "Weaving Maiden" as dexterous ~

According to legend, the ancient maiden would be It is said that in ancient times, young girls would wear new clothes and beg the Weaving Maiden for wisdom and skill in the night from the first day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar to the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar in the courtyard. This is mainly because the "Seven Sisters", also known as the Seven Immortals, were capable weavers in the Heavenly Palace. When the Tanabata Festival came ancient women, they would beg her to teach them the craft of mental dexterity.

In fact, it can also be called a "qiaoqiao" (斗巧), because young girls would thread needles and thread threads, steam qiaoqiao steamed buns, cut paper, colorful embroidery, etc., and then compete to see whose hands were the most skillful.

The idea that the Tanabata Festival is Valentine's Day came later, mainly from the story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden. Since their love was not recognized by the Heavenly Emperor, they were only promised to meet once a year, and that day was the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

On the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month, the two stepped over the bridge built by magpies and came to the middle of the bridge to talk to each other about their longing. Later, the Tanabata Festival was integrated with Valentine's Day and has been passed down to modern society.

Here's a look at how girls in ancient times celebrated Tanabata

The customs of Tanabata:

(A) Threading the Needle to Beg for Coincidence

Folklore: Every Tanabata, women have to thread the needle to the moon and play games to beg the weaver for coins. The game, to the weaving maiden begging for wisdom, called "begging for coincidence". Woman holding five-color silk thread and a continuous arrangement of nine-hole needle (or five-hole needle, seven-hole needle) while the moonlight on the moon continuous threading, the line will be fast all through the person known as "to get the trick".

(2) spider should be coquettish

This is also an earlier way of begging for coquettish, its custom a little later than the needle begging, roughly in the North and South Dynasties. It is the spider in the box or covered with a bowl, and according to certain criteria to determine whether to beg for coquettish, such as whether the web as a criterion, if the web on the coquettish; there is a knot web silk more or less as a criterion, the denser the net knots that begging to the coquettish the more; there is a net knot whether there is an organized as a criterion, there is an organized is said to be coquettish; there is also to the spider whether to wear a needle as a criterion, if the spider through the needle hole that is, to get the coquettish. After the occupation test, the person who gets the trick is happy, everyone congratulates her; those who fail to get the trick, often frustrated sighs, and even sobs and cries.

(3) casting needle inspection coquettish

This is the Tanabata wearing a needle begging for coquettish variant of the custom, from the wearing a needle, but also different from the wearing of needles, is the prevalence of the Ming and Qing dynasties Tanabata festival custom. The seventh day of the seventh month of the afternoon staring at Sen throw coquettish needle.

Women's exposure to ounces of water in the sun, a short while, the water film surface, embroidery needles cast is floating, look at the bottom of the water needle shadow. There are into the clouds and things flower head bird and animal shadow, there are into the shoes and scissors water eggplant shadow, said begging for coincidence. The shadow is as thick as a hammer, as thin as silk, as straight as a shaft of wax, this is a sign of clumsiness. (Ming Liu Dong, Yu Yi Zheng "Imperial Capital Scenery" Volume II)

(4) worship the Weaver

Seventh of July to worship the Weaver, in front of the case of incense worship, we all sit around the table, one side of the table to eat peanuts, melons, kai rented acres of one side of the Weaver towards the constellation, meditate their own heart.

Such as the girls want to look beautiful or marry a man of their choice, young women hope to have a child early, etc., can be to the Weaving Maiden star silent prayer, play to the middle of the night to be dispersed.