Customs of the Tanabata Festival.

The Tanabata Festival, also known as the Beggar's Day, the Festival of Seven Coincidences, or the Seven Sisters' Birthday, originated in China, is a traditional festival in the Chinese region and in East Asian countries, because the main participants in the activities of the day are young girls, and the content of the festival activities is based on begging for coquettishness, so people call this day "Begging for Coquettishness" or "Maiden's Day", "Daughter's Day". "On May 20, 2006, the Tanabata Festival was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

The customs of the Tanabata Festival include:Incense Bridge Meeting, Catching Dew, Worshiping the Seven Sisters, Fighting Coquettishness, Begging for Marriage, Swimming in the Water of the Seven Sisters, Planting Sons to Seek Sons, Storing the Water of Tanabata, Celebrating the Birthday of a Cow, Tanabata Tribute Cases, Welcoming the Immortals, Worshiping the Cowboys, Worshiping the Kui Xing, Worshiping the Bed Mother, Dyeing the Fingernails, Stargazing at the Tanabata Festival, Listening to Whispering, Viewing Shadow with Pure Water, Knotting the Red Head Rope, Shampooing a Girl's Hair, Drying the Book and Sunning the Clothes, Tying up the Coquettish Nuns and Playing Grinding and Drinking Music.

I think in the Tanabata Festival of the many customs worthy of mentioning there are five , the following with me to see it:

? One of the customs of Tanabata: celebrating the birth of a cow?

In the old days, children would pick wildflowers and hang them on the horns of cows on the eve of the seventh day of the seventh month, which was also called "celebrating the birthday of the cow". Because legend has it that after the Queen Mother of the West separated the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden by the River of Heaven, the old ox allowed the Cowherd to cross the River of Heaven to see the Weaving Maiden, so that the Cowherd could shave off his skin and drive his cowhide to see the Weaving Maiden. In honor of the ox's sacrifice, the custom of celebrating the ox's birthday was established.

The reason is very simple, because in the whole story of the seventh day of the seventh month - the legend of "The Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden" - the old ox that accompanied the cowherd seemed to be the director of the whole story, driving the whole story forward.

Reviewing the whole folklore, the old bull, the only one in the family of the cowherd, not only told the cowherd when and where to steal what piece of fairy clothes to make a good relationship. And also successfully predicted in their own death, the master of the family's encounters, told the master of the cowboy will be their own cowhide peeled off, in the future in case of trouble can be approved of its flight. So the ancients on the seventh day of the seventh month as the cow's "birthday", in the ancient times of Chinese women to gather together under the moon to worship the Weaving Maiden begging for coquettish. And children need to tie a wreath, hanging on the bull's horns, to celebrate the bull's birthday.

The formation of the custom of "celebrating the cow's birthday" also marks the passing of the allusion to the cowherd and the weaving maiden to the patriarchal farming society, which added the element of farming to the patriarchal society. After the spring planting, summer plowing, the year's harvest is expected to be a little sympathy for the "main force" - cattle, but also to pray for a good harvest in the fall.

? The second custom of the Tanabata Festival: to wear a needle to beg for coquettish?

This is the earliest way of begging for coquettish gifts, which began in Han and flowed to later generations. Begging for coquettish objects by threading a needle is a Chinese custom of the year. It is held on the seventh day of the seventh month every year. On the night of the seventh day of the seventh month, a woman holding a 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 needle and thread, will be the line quickly all through the person known as "to get coquettish". It shows the ingenuity and aspiration of the ancient Chinese working people.

The Xijing Miscellany said: "Han color women often wear seven holes on the seventh day of the seventh month needle in the lapel building, people have to practice." Southern Liang Zongmou "Jing Chu chronicle" said: "July 7, is the evening of the family women knot color building wear seven holes outside, or to gold, silver and stone for the needle." Yiyizi Zhi" said: "Qi Wudi up layer of the city view, July 7, the palace people more than boarding the needle. The world called the needle piercing building." Fifth Wang Renyu "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains" said: "Tanabata, the palace to brocade knot building hall, 100 feet high, on the can win dozens of people, Chen to fruits and wine sizzling, set up seating, to sacrifice the cow female two stars, concubines to nine-hole needle five-color line to the moon through the, over the person who got the coincidence of the marquis. Move the song of the Qing Shang, feast music up to the end of the day. The soil people's homes all follow the example." Yuan Tao Zongyi "Yuan's Yatei Records" said: "nine cited Taiwan, Tanabata begging for coquettish. To the evening, the courtesans on stage to colorful silk wearing nine-tailed needle, the first to finish for the coquettish, late finish is called the loss of coquettish, each funded to give the coquettish."

The Beggar's Nest has a special way of begging for coquettishness, the most famous is to wear a needle to beg for coquettishness, that is, who wears a needle and drew the line fast, who will "get coquettishness", slow said "lose coquettishness", lose coquettishness to lose coquettishness to be ready to give gifts to get coquettishness. The night of the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar that is the Tanabata Festival (or begging festival), according to tradition, the Chinese folk woman to the court cloth feast, pious kneeling to worship the Vega, begging for blessing of their own handyman, begging for wisdom and skillful craftsmanship.

? Tanabata Festival customs of the third: happy spider should be coquettish?

This is also an earlier way of begging for coquettishness, and its custom is slightly later than that of begging for coquettishness by threading a needle, which roughly started in the North and South Dynasties. The Liang Zong Security Department of the Southern Dynasty said in the book "Jingchu Shoushi Ji" that "on this eve, we will display melons and fruits in the court to beg for coquettish objects. If there is a net on the melon, it is thought to be a charm."

Wang Renyu of the Fifth Generation, "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" said: "July 7, each capture the spider in a small box, to the dawn of the open; depending on the spider web sparse and dense to get the coincidence of the Hou. The dense say coquettish more, sparse say coquettish less. Folk are also effective" Song Dynasty Meng Yuan Lao "Tokyo Meng Hua Records" said, July 7 Eve "to small spiders in the Hap Zi, the next day to see, if the web is round is said to get coquettish." Song Zhou Mi "Qian Chun years and times" said; "to small spider storage Hop, to wait for the sparseness of the web for how long to get coquettish" Ming Tian Rucheng "Xichao music" said the Tanabata Festival "to small boxes of spiders, the next morning to see its web sparseness to get coquettish more or less." From this, the method of inspection of different generations, the North and South Dynasties of the web of the presence or absence of the web of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the web of the sparse and dense, the Song Dynasty, the web of the round, the later generations of the Tang custom.

The so-called "happy spider should be coquettish", that is, some fruit and food (to melon, golden melon, coquettish fruit, peanuts, jujubes, etc.) on the fruit bowl, which is usually in the needle begging for coquettish before the adults have made preparations. "Threading the needle begging for coquettish" later, we all keep our eyes open to see whether the fruit bowl "happy spider" in the web, who first found, who will be lucky.

The so-called happy spider, in fact, is a grain of rice large spider, summer and fall, in some flowers and trees, often see, occasionally a climb on the body or found in the house, are said to be the omen of good fortune, will generally be very careful to release, we will not be easy to get it dead.

But it's not easy to find a spider on a fruit bowl. Sometimes, in order to get the fruits and vegetables early, one of the children will secretly catch one and put it on the fruit bowl. Adults actually know, turn a blind eye, in the children "found" the happy spider cheers, while the fruits of the melon into the hands of each person, while saying: "eat, eat, year after year have coincidence, year after year have coincidence. "

? The fourth of the Tanabata Festival customs: throwing a needle to check the coincidence?

This is a variant of the Tanabata custom of threading a needle to beg for coquettishness, which originated from threading a needle and is different from threading a needle, and is a prevalent Tanabata custom of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ming Liu Dong, Yu Yizheng's "Imperial Capital Scenery" said: "July 7 of the afternoon to throw the needle. Women's exposure to ounces of water in the sun, a short while, the water film surface, embroidery needle casting 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 to get coquettish; its shadow as thick as a hammer, as thin as silk, straight as a shaft of wax, this is a sign of clumsiness carry on." Zhishu Zhili" also said, Liangxiang County (now southwest of Beijing) "July 7, women begging for coquettish, throwing needles in the water, borrowing the sun shadow to test the work of clumsy, to the night is still begging for coquettish in the weaver," please Yu Minzhong, "under the sun, the old news of the Kaohsiung" quoted in "Miscellany of the Wandering Department," said: "Yandu women to the bowl of water on the seventh day of the seventh month under the stormy sun, and each throw a small needle to float! The surface of the water, Xu see the sun under the water. Or scattered as a flower, moving as a cloud, thin as a line, thick rent as a cone, because to divine the female skill."

"Throwing needles to check coincidence": first prepare a basin, placed in the patio, poured into the "mandarin ducks water", i.e., the water taken during the day and the water taken at night mixed together. But often the river water, well water mixed together into the basin even into the basin, basin and water to the open air overnight, and then by the next day, that is, the seventh day of the seventh month of the sun, to the noon or afternoon can be "check the coincidence". The original basin of water, after half a day of sunlight, the surface of the vaguely generated film, so take the lead (i.e., "sewing needle"), gently placed flat on the water surface, the needle will not sink, under the water, there is a needle shadow, the needle shadow if it is a straight one, that is, "Begging for coincidence! "If the needle shadow is straight, it is a failure. If the needle shadow forms various shapes, or bends, or one end is thick, one end is thin, or other shapes, it is "Get Qiaoqiao".

Throwing a needle to check the coquettishness is a Chinese custom, held every year on the seventh day of the seventh month. Belonging to the Tanabata Festival during the needle begging custom variant, from the needle, but different from the needle, is the Ming and Qing dynasties, the prevalence of Tanabata custom, showing the ancient Chinese working people's ingenuity and life aspirations.

? The fifth of the Tanabata custom: to worship the Weaving Maiden?

"Worshiping the Weaving Maiden" is purely a matter for young girls and young women. Most of them meet with their friends or neighbors in advance to organize a joint event with five, six, or even ten people. Held a ceremony, is set up a table under the moonlight, the table set tea, wine, fruit, five children (cinnamon, jujubes, hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds) and other offerings; there are a few flowers, bundles of red paper, inserted into the bottle, flowers before a small incense burner. Then, about to participate in the worship of the weaving maiden young women, girls, fasting for a day, bathing, punctually to the host's home, burning incense in front of the case after worship, we sit around the table, one side of the peanuts, melons, one side of the constellation towards the weaving maiden, meditate on their own affairs of the heart. Such as young girls want to look beautiful or marry a man of their choice, young women want to give birth to a child early, etc., can be to the Weaving Maiden star of silent prayer. Play until midnight to disperse.

The Weaving Maiden, also known as the seven sisters, seven star Maiden, Tianxian Maiden, seven Maiden Mom, etc., July 7 is the anniversary of its birth. "Worship the Weaving Maiden" is purely a matter for pretty girls. Before the founding of New China, "Tanabata" was a grand festival for women. In the old days, women would "beg for coquettishness" from the Seven Sisters, begging her to teach them the craft of dexterity, but in fact, the so-called "begging for coquettishness" was nothing more than "fighting for coquettishness". Most of the pretty girls are in advance and their friends or neighbors about five or six people, up to ten people, jointly organized. The ceremony is held by setting up a table under the moonlight with tea and wine. Fruit, five children (cinnamon, jujube, hazelnut, peanut, melon seeds) and other offerings; and a few flowers, bundles of red paper, inserted into the bottle, flowers before a small incense burner. Then, about to participate in the worship of the weaver's beautiful girls, fasting day, bathing, punctually to the host's home, in front of the case of incense worship, we sit around the table, one side to eat peanuts, melons, one side of the constellation towards the weaving maiden, meditate on their own affairs of the heart. Such as young girls want to look beautiful or marry a man of their choice, young women want to give birth to a child early, etc., can be to the Weaving Maiden star of silent prayer. Playing until midnight before dispersing. Different places have different ceremonies for celebrating the "Seven Sisters' Birthday".

The Tanabata Festival is to beg for marital happiness, the pursuit of love a festival, the girls will be in the evening of Tanabata Day, their own home to pick fruits, flowers and some of their own handmade handicrafts, placed in front of the case, the case of the table side of the table, set up in the courtyard on top of the case of the table, to the moon to carry out a begging, while worshipping while in the heart of the silent prayers, one is to the Weaving Maiden to ask for wisdom, and the other to the Weaving Maiden to ask for the beauty of marriage. The first is to ask the weaving maiden for wisdom, and the other for the beauty of marriage.

The Tanabata Festival takes the folklore of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden as its carrier and expresses the sentiment that married men and women should never leave each other and grow old together, and it is the commitment of both parties to love that is being abided by. With the evolution of time, Tanabata has now become China's Valentine's Day.