Is Valentine's Day in China a traditional festival in China?

Valentine's Day in China is a traditional festival in China, also known as "Begging for Clevership Festival".

The origin of Valentine's Day in China is regarded by most people as an extension of the love story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and a commemoration of this romantic love story. The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the day when the cowherd and the weaver girl meet, which is Valentine's Day in China.

As the saying goes, July 7th is Tanabata, and the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl will have a good time.

First, the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl.

Legend has it that the granddaughter Weaver of the ancient Emperor of Heaven is very good at weaving, weaving rosy clouds for the sky every day. She hated this boring life, so she secretly went down to earth, married a cowherd in Hexi privately, and lived a life of farming and weaving. This incident angered the Empress Dowager, who sent someone to take the Weaver Girl back to the Heavenly Palace. The Cowherd led the cow and took two children to heaven. Seeing that it was about to catch up, the Queen Mother tore off the golden hairpin on her head and drew a Tianhe River, so the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could only face each other across the river. This Tianhe is what we often call the Milky Way.

Later, the Queen Mother was probably moved by their love, so she allowed them to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Therefore, on this day every year, countless magpies fly from all directions and build a magpie bridge across the Tianhe River with their bodies, so that the cowherd and the weaver girl can meet on the Tianhe River.

And this annual meeting day has become a folk festival. People will hold many activities on this day to bless them.

Second, the folk custom of Valentine's Day in China

Valentine's Day in China is also called Beggar's Day. There is an important activity on this day, that is, young girls will compete for needlework and pray for the Weaver Girl to make her craft better. And this begging also has a meaning, that is, finding the right husband. After all, a person's needlework is so excellent that he can naturally find a good young man who is congenial.

This also extends the custom that young men and women meet under the pumpkin shed and listen to the whispers of the cowherd and the weaver girl. I don't know if I can hear the whispering of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in the dead of night, but the whispering between them is definitely indispensable. This is a good opportunity for young men and women to talk to each other, and many lovers may be made on this day.

Nowadays, Valentine's Day in China has actually changed its flavor. Now, no one will compete for needlework, and of course, there will be no young men and women running under the pumpkin shed to tell their hearts. However, the status of Valentine's Day in China has stabilized. This is Valentine's Day in China, and it is the best time for young men and women to express their love.

On Valentine's Day in China, young men and women exchange gifts and dating is business. However, although the form changes, the connotation remains unchanged. The ancients could only fall in love under the pumpkin shed, but now young people have more choices.