Celebrating the Cow’s Birthday

Children will pick wild flowers and hang them on the horns of the Cow on Chinese Valentine’s Day, which is also called “Congratulating 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 see the Weaver Girl, the old cow 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".

Showing books and clothes

According to reports, Sima Yi was quite jealous of Cao Cao because of his high position and power. In view of the political darkness at that time, in order to protect himself, he pretended to be crazy. The disease hides 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, just talk about it!" Judging from these few stories, we know that the Chinese Valentine's Day was publishing books at that time. , How old is the custom of drying clothes.

Worship 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 lotus leaf dress. Holding lotus leaf. 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 ivory carvings or dragon and bergamot incense carvings. The decorations of Mohele are even more exquisite. Some use painted wood carvings as railings, or use 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.

Qixi Festival Customs

Worship the Weaver Girl

"Worship 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.

Worship Kuixing

It is said that 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, scholars who won the top prize were called "Dakui Tianxiashi" or "won the first prize in one fell swoop" because Kuixing was in charge of examination luck.

According to folklore, 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 Lord Kuixing was full of knowledge during his lifetime, he failed every exam, so he was so angry that he threw himself into the river and committed suicide. 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.