What are the customs of the traditional Tanabata Festival

Traditional customs of the Tanabata Festival include: threading needles to beg for coquettish objects, delighting in spiders to respond to coquettish objects, casting needles to check coquettish objects, planting seeds to seek children, celebrating the birth of cows, and eating coquettish fruits.

1, wearing a needle to beg for coquettish

This is one of the most common customs of the Tanabata Festival, but also an opportunity for girls to show their craftsmanship. In the evening of Tanabata, girls use needles and threads to thread a needle under the moonlight, or make some embroidery, knitting and other crafts with needles and threads to show their dexterity and ingenuity. It is said that if one can thread a needle and thread or make a beautiful craft in a very short time, one will be blessed by the Weaving Maiden and become a skillful girl in one's heart.

2, happy spider should be coquettish

This is a relatively special custom, also originated from the story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden. On the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month, the girls will put some small spiders in the house, and then use needle and thread to make some small Wangzhuang items and put them next to the spiders. If the spiders can make webs on the webbed items, it means that the girls are very talented and intelligent. The origin of this custom is because when the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden met, a small spider made a rainbow bridge for them.

3. Throwing a needle to test a girl's dexterity

This is a way to test a girl's dexterity. On the night of Tanabata, the girls will put a small stick of grass or a silver needle in a pot of water and see if they can float or sink. If they can float or sink, it means the girl is dexterous; if not, it means the girl is not dexterous enough.

4, planting a child

This is a custom to pray for offspring. On the night of Tanabata, married women would plant crops such as wheat and beans in their yards and pray for the birth of healthy sons and daughters. The symbolism of this custom is the hope that the offspring will thrive like the crops.

5. Celebrating the Birthday of the Cow

This is a custom of giving thanks to the cowherd. Celebrating the birth of cattle means that on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month, farmers will feed their cattle with delicious grass and give them a bath, comb their hair, and hang colorful ribbons as a sign of respect and gratitude to the cowherd.

6. Eating Qiaoguo

This is a custom to celebrate the Tanabata Festival. Eating Qiaoguo means that on the night of Tanabata, families will make some delicious pastries, such as shortcakes, dumplings, soup dumplings, etc., and then distribute them to friends and relatives or enjoy them themselves. These pastries are usually decorated with various colors and shapes to signify good luck and beauty. Eating Qiaoguo means wishing to be as sweet and happy as Qiaoguo.

Reference for the above: Baidu Encyclopedia - Tanabata Festival