About the folk customs of Xihe -----Composition reference material of Xihe Qiqiao Festival, I hope it will inspire you. In December 2006, Xihe County was named "the hometown of Chinese Qiqiao Culture" by the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association, becoming the next Min

After the county and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture were named the "Hometown of Chinese Flowers", Gansu Province is the third "Hometown of Chinese Folk Literature and Art" to be named.

On June 14, 2008, the "Xihe Qiqiao Festival" was selected into the "Second Batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage List". The Xihe Qiqiao Festival can be called the "living fossil" of the ancient Chinese custom of begging for skill.

Its complete preservation is unique in the country.

In the morning, after 23-year-old Zhao Yan had packed up the clothing store, she sat on a bench in front of the store and sent text messages to her sister who was studying in Tianshui, discussing when they would go back to the village to "celebrate the festival" together.

"Unmarried girls in our hometown have to celebrate the festival. I bought two new sets of clothes for my sister and myself. I will try to see if they fit when she comes." Zhao Yan smiled happily while folding the clothes.

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Every year in late June of the lunar calendar, girls in Xihe County and surrounding villages get busy, and Zhao Yan is one of them.

Unmarried girls from the same village and neighborhood gathered together to discuss how to celebrate the Qiqiao Festival.

"Usually, a few sisters with relatively good relationships initiate the activity, and unmarried girls from the same village form a 'field' (commonly known as a 'begging field')." Zhao Yan said.

After selecting a begging place, the girls used their free time to practice singing "Song of Begging for Skills" at the girls' homes with better living conditions.

"Songs are mostly taught by older women. Old songs are passed down from generation to generation, and new songs are mainly popular songs." On the night of June 29, the girls dressed up, lined up neatly, and picked up the "Qiao Empress".

After serving the fragrant wax paper trays, they went to the riverside under the guidance of the elderly women to hold a welcoming ceremony.

By the river, the host burned incense, lit wax, burned paper and fired firecrackers. The leader of the "Qiao Empress" knelt down to greet her, while the other girls stood by the river and sang "Song of Welcome Qiao" together.

"Every year on July 7th, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in the sky, the 'Qiao Empress' lotus platform, you open the South Gate, send me 'Qiao Empress' out, one piece of sky and two pieces of sky, I take 'Qiao Empress' down to earth

, 'Empress Qiao' is wearing satin shoes, I'll pick you up from the mountains, 'Empress Qiao' is wearing strappy shoes, I'll pick you up from the river..." Then, he took off the silk handkerchief on "Empress Qiao's" head.

, singing songs all the way to invite "Qiao Empress" into the hospital.

When entering the courtyard, you should sing "Enter the Courtyard Song" and when entering the house, sing "Zi Qiao Song".

Then they offer tea fruits and sing "Tea Song", and the begging activity officially kicks off.

From the first to the sixth day of July, begging girls will sing and dance to congratulate each other, exchange songs and dances, and connect their fellow villagers and neighbors.

On the seventh day of the lunar month, the begging activity reaches its climax.

Regardless of whether there are clear springs or wells in Dazhuang and small villages, there are teams of beggars singing and dancing. Men, women, old and young gather here to watch the fun.

The host burned incense and turned it into paper, set off firecrackers to worship the water god, and the girls held hands and danced "Song to Welcome the Water".

"Welcome the God of Water. Welcome the God of Water. I welcome the God of Water into the house. Today is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. I set off firecrackers and put incense to welcome the God of Water. My daughter lowered her head and kowtowed, and the water around the stone was rippled. She carried the water into two cans and carried it to my house to shine on the petals.

...The activity lasted from dawn to noon. In the afternoon, the nearby mountain temple became lively again. The begging team went there to worship the gods and pray for a good harvest and good luck. In the afternoon, the girls gathered together to have a sumptuous meal.

At the banquet, there was laughter and tears in the singing, because I don’t know which girl will marry in another village next year and will not be able to attend this most free and romantic event.

After the banquet and tea, some of the girls prepared for the flower petal-taking ceremony, some prepared for the gift-giving ceremony, and some continued to sing and dance for the more exciting flower-petaling ceremony. The girls had already brought their own bean sprouts to the begging ceremony.

When the market came, the altar table was filled with golden bean sprouts tied up with red strings in small porcelain pots. The morning water was filled in colorless porcelain pots. A handful of bean sprouts were pinched and thrown on the water.

Look at the reflection reflected on the bottom of the basin under the candlelight lamp. One person takes the photo, and the others sing "Song of the Flower Petals": "The bean sprouts are thin, the bean sprouts are curved, 'Qiao Niangniang' gives me a happy eye, a coincidence gives me a pen and inkstone, but an unfortunate coincidence

After asking for a shoe mat, not asking for money, not asking for face, just asking the Cowherd to take care of the petals, it was already a starry sky, and it was time to send Queen Qiao back to heaven.

The girls burst into tears, singing and dancing, and the host began to set up the incense table again to carry out the ceremony of sending gifts to the gods.

When the firecrackers first went off, "Qiao Empress" was put on the lotus platform together, and they sang the poignant "Song of Sending Qiao Empress" to the river to send "Qiao Empress" across the Tianhe River and across the Magpie Bridge to meet the Cowherd in heaven.

"'Qiao Empress' Lotus Terrace, I have gone this year and will come next year. I want to keep you here for a while, but I'm afraid it will be too late. Brother Ye Qiao (Magpie), please come out and send me, 'Qiao Empress', across the river. Open the Nantian Gate quickly.

Let me, 'Empress Qiao,' come in..." Firecrackers went off, and Empress Qiao's figure burned to ashes in the fire. The girls' singing and crying slowly faded away, and the begging activity came to an end.

Begging for cleverness is an ancient folk custom with a wide spread and a long history. It originates from the three celestial phenomena of Weaver Girl, Morning Bull and Hehan in Han culture.

It was first seen in the "Four People's Monthly Order" written by Cui ■ of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

There is also a record in "Xijing Miscellanies" by Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty that "the colorful girls of the Han Dynasty often put seven-hole needles through the Kaijin Tower on July 7th, and everyone practiced it." This is the earliest record of begging for skill in ancient documents.

"Begging for skill" means asking for wisdom from the gods. Begging refers to begging, and skill refers to being clever or having ingenious ideas. Its essence is to have wisdom.