What are the customs of Valentine's Day in China?
1, hanging paper on the bridge
Near the seaside, people usually throw paper with wishes into the sea before dawn on July 7. During Valentine's Day in China, colored balls and other decorations will be hung all over Japan. In some places, rituals such as praying for rain and expelling insects will be integrated into Valentine's Day activities in China. Hokkaido's routine "begging for candles" is even more unique. On this day, the children walked around the street with lanterns, singing songs like "Take out the candles, take them out, or I will tickle you if I don't take them out, and I won't let you go", and went to nearby families to beg for candles or cakes.
2. Chinese Valentine's Day
Every summer, the annual Chinese Valentine's Day is held all over Japan. People wear traditional costumes, sing and dance, and the streets are full of adults and children watching and playing. In cooperation with Chinese Valentine's Day, there is also a fireworks festival every summer.
3. Hang a short book
Throughout the ages, whenever Japanese people visit Chinese Valentine's Day, they will hang colorful "short books" to celebrate the arrival of Chinese Valentine's Day. The original short books were made of red, blue, yellow, white and black (representing fire, water and soil in Jin Mu) colored paper and long poems, and hung on trees or bamboo with five-color lines on them.
Step 4 hang bamboo
In Japanese folk, adults and children write their wishes and poems together on colorful long poems, and hang them on a small bamboo with decorations made of paper, and then stand this small bamboo in the yard and put the offerings together, so that the handicraft skills of the wishing girl can be improved like a weaver girl. Small bamboos in Chinese Valentine's Day are decorated like Christmas trees in summer. After Tanabata, putting this little bamboo in the river with the offerings means that I hope my wish can reach Tianchi.
5. eat cake.
Suobing is a kind of food that people used to eat on Tanabata. Later, it evolved into the custom of eating dried noodles. It can be said that the originator of dried noodles is asking for cakes. Suobing was introduced to Japan in Nara era, and it looks like our China twist. The Japanese mix wheat and rice flour, twist them into a slender shape like a rope, and then fry or bake them until they are cooked.
6. Qixi doll
In Matsumoto, Niigata, Yamanashi and other areas in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, every household will make some dolls to hang in front of their doors on Tanabata, which means that they want to "sew more and more beautiful kimonos" and "raise their children smoothly", and in some places it means "lend kimonos to cowherd and weaver girl".
7. Qixi Paper Clothes
In Sendai, Kyoto and many other places, Qixi paper clothes are used as a way to drive away the unknown. Inheriting the ancients, people have been begging for good weather with paper clothes in order to avoid some disasters brought by nature in July, the season when the harvest is about to come.
The time of Tanabata in Japan
The Japanese Qixi Festival falls on July 7th of the Gregorian calendar every year, which is not calculated according to the calendar of China. The Japanese Tanabata legend originated in Nara era, based on the legend of the Weaver Cowherd from China, and joined the traditional ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods in ancient Japan.
The content of Japanese Tanabata
Tanabata is a grand day in Japan, a day to tell wishes and pray for them to come true. On July 7th every year, Chinese Valentine's Day is celebrated all over Japan. For example, Tokyo Sky Tower and Tokyo Tower will hold Tanabata lighting activities, Asakusa Festival will be held in Sensoji Temple, and Disneyland will hold special activities on Valentine's Day in China. Tanabata is an important ceremony for women and families, so every family in Japan will carefully prepare this traditional festival. In Chinese Valentine's Day, Japanese people will write their wishes on slender paper and tie them to small bamboo branches, hoping that their wishes will come true.
The Origin of Valentine's Day in China, Japan
Japanese Valentine's Day in China originated in Nara era. In ancient Japan, Chinese Valentine's Day's activities were roughly the same as those in China, and they were basically related to textiles. At present, the representative activity of Valentine's Day in China is to write down one's wishes on a long note and then tie it to bamboo leaves. This China Valentine's Day celebration with Japanese characteristics originated in the Edo period. Usually, traditional long strips of paper have five colors, namely red, green, yellow, white and black. Now other colors are also involved, as well as pink and blue.
However, after the Meiji era, Japan stopped using the old calendar. So now Tanabata, July 7th of the solar calendar is adopted in most parts of Japan. In special places, July 7th of the lunar calendar can still be seen as the date of Tanabata. Among them, the China Valentine's Day celebration in Sendai is the most famous. There are large decorations and large public performances. The way he celebrates the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is different from other areas. A large number of tourists from all over Japan will go to Sendai.