acupuncture

This is the earliest way to beg for cleverness, which began in the Han Dynasty and flowed to later generations. "Miscellanies of Xijing" said: "Women in the Han Dynasty often wear seven-hole needles in Jinkai Building on July 7, and people have the ambition of Xi." The Chronicle of Jingchu Years Old by Liang Zongmou of the Southern Dynasties said: "On July 7th, it was a woman of Xijia family, who was wearing a colorful building with seven holes, or with gold and silver as needles." "Geographical Records" said: "Emperor Wu of Qi began to visit the city on the first floor. On July 7, court officials tried to thread the needle several times. The world calls it the needle-piercing building. " The Five Dynasties Wang Renyu's "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" said: "On Qixi Festival, the palace was made of brocade, which was hundreds of feet high and could beat dozens of people in the world. Chen baked melons and fruits with wine, set a banquet, worshipped cows and girls, and each of his concubines wore a nine-hole needle, with five-color lines facing the moon. This is a wonderful time. It's fun to play the song of Qing business. The home of the natives is effective. " Yuan Taozong Yi's Record of Ye Ting in Yuanshi County said: "Chinese Valentine's Day is a place of ingenuity. In the evening, the ladies-in-waiting went on stage to wear Kyubi no Youko needles with colored silk. The person who finishes first is smart, and the person who finishes late is called a loser. Everyone contributed a gift. "

Spiders should be smart.

This is also an early way of seeking cleverness, and its popularity is a little later than that of seeking cleverness with needles, which generally began in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Liang Zonggu of the Southern Dynasties said "A Record of Jingchu Times"; "In the evening, Chen Guaguo begged for cleverness in court. If you have a happy subnet on melon, you think it is corresponding. "

The Five Dynasties Wang Renyu's "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" said: "On July 7, we all caught spiders in small boxes until dawn; Think of cobwebs as sparse and dense. Secret people have many clever words, while rare people have few clever words. So are folk works. " A Dream in Tokyo by Meng Yuanyuan, a poet of the Song Dynasty, said that on the seventh day of July, "Put a spider in the zygote and watch it the next day. If the net is round, it is just a coincidence. " Song Zhou Mi's "When I was one year old" said; "How long does it take to store small spiders in the house and wait for the density of the net?" Tomita Rucheng's "Joy of the Xi Tide" said that on Tanabata, "It is very clever to put spiders in a small box and see the density of their webs the next morning." It can be seen that the methods of testing ingenuity in past dynasties are different. The existence of the visual network in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the thinness of the visual network in the Tang Dynasty, and the roundness of the visual network in the Song Dynasty, followed the customs of the Tang Dynasty in later generations.

Needle throwing and skill test

This is a variation of the custom of needlework on Qixi, which originated from needlework and is different from needlework. This is a popular Valentine's Day custom in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, Dong Liu and Yu Yizheng said in A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital, "On the afternoon of July 7th, I lost my magic needle. When a woman comes into contact with water, the water film looks strange, and the embroidery needle floats and looks at the shadow of the underwater needle. There are clouds, flowers, birds and animals, shoes, scissors and eggplant shadows, which are called clever begging; Its shadow is as thick as a hammer, as thin as silk and as straight as axis wax, which is wrong. "Records of Zhili" also said that in Liangxiang County (now southwest of Beijing), "on July 7th, women begged for cleverness, threw needles into the water, took the shadow of the sun to inspect the work, and still begged for cleverness at night". Please quote ten thousand miscellanies in An Examination of Old News in the Sun: "On July 7th, a woman in Yan Dou threw a small needle into the water with a bowl of water. Or scattered like a flower, moving like a cloud, as thin as a line, as thick as a cone, all because of the ingenuity of the diviner. "

Seed search

In the old custom, a few days before Tanabata, first spread a layer of soil on a small wooden board, sow the seeds of millet to make it bear green seedlings, and then put some small huts and flowers and trees on it to make it look like a small village where people live in heaven, called a "shell board", or soak mung beans, adzuki beans and wheat in a magnetic bowl and tie it with red and blue silk threads. All parts of the south are also called "bubble cleverness", and the sprouted bean sprouts are called smart buds. Even the needles are replaced by smart buds and thrown on the water to beg for cleverness. Wax is also used to create various images, such as the characters in the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, or the shapes of animals such as vultures and mandarin ducks, which float on the water, which is called "floating on the water". There are also baby dolls made of wax, which women can buy home and float in the water and soil to show their good luck to their children, which is called "metaplasia".

Sacrifice "grinding and drinking music"

Moeli is a little clay doll, a children's plaything on Valentine's Day in old China. Its image is mostly a lotus leaf half-arm skirt, holding a lotus leaf. On July 7th every year, in Kaifeng, "the tiles outside Dongsongmen in Panlou Street, the tiles outside Xiliangmen in Zhou Zhou, the tiles outside the North Gate, the tiles outside the South Suzaku Gate, and Xingjie Ma are all plastic puppets". In fact, the grinding and drinking music after the end of the Song Dynasty is no longer a puppet, on the contrary, it has become more and more exquisite. Moeli varies in size and posture, and the largest is as high as three feet, comparable to a real child. The materials made are ivory carving or bergamot carving, and the dressing of grinding and drinking music is extremely beautiful. There are painted wood carvings as column seats, or red sand cages as covers, and the toys in hand are mostly decorated with precious stones. The cost of grinding and drinking music is often as high as several thousand yuan.

Worship the weaver girl

"Worship the Weaver Girl" is purely a matter for girls and young women. Most of them make an appointment with five or six people, at most a dozen people, with friends or neighbors in advance to hold it together. The ceremony was held in the moonlight, with tea and wine on the table. Fruits, five sons (longan, red dates, hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds) and other sacrifices; There are also some flowers, tied with red paper, inserted in the bottle, with a small incense burner in front. Then, the young women and girls who make an appointment to attend the worship of the Weaver Maid will fast for one day, take a bath and come to their host's house on time. After burning incense in front of the case, everyone will sit around the table and meditate on their thoughts while eating peanuts and melon seeds. If a girl wants to be beautiful or marry a husband, and a young woman wants to have a baby early, she can silently pray to the Weaver Girl. Play until midnight.

Bai kuixing

It is said that July 7th is Kuixing's birthday. Kuixing literature, literati who want to be famous especially worship Kuixing, so they must worship him on Tanabata and pray for his success in the exam. Kuixing is mainly Kuidou, the Kuixing in the twenty-eight nights, the first star of the Big Dipper, and also the Kuixing or champion. In ancient times, scholars were called "the greatest scholars in the world" or "winning the championship in one fell swoop" because Kuixing was in charge of the exam.

According to folklore, Lord Kuixing is ugly, his face is covered with spots and he is lame. Someone wrote a limerick to make fun of him: if you don't publicize it, why decorate it? Even lead, don't cover it. Marrying Ma Gu into two beauties is no worse than coming to the hive. Leave claws under the eyebrows, and geese step on the sand beside their noses and mouths. It's just a nap in front of the eaves, and the wind blows plum blossoms on your forehead. Xiang Jun's jade toe is the strangest, with one high and one low. I want to dance when I take a leisurely walk, and the degree of fluttering is like a mouth. Only the road in the world is dangerous, and I am so tired that I am surprised. Don't laugh, the waist branches are often half folded, and the temporary swaying is also colorful.

However, the champion was ambitious and worked hard, so he went to high school. When the Emperor visited him, he asked him why his face was covered with spots. He replied: "Ma's face is full of stars"; Asked why he was lame, he replied "hop on one foot". The emperor was very satisfied and accepted him.

Another completely different legend says that Lord Kuixing was knowledgeable before his death, but unfortunately he failed every exam, so he threw himself into the river in grief and indignation. Unexpectedly, he was saved by turtle fish and ascended to heaven to become a champion. Because Kuixing can affect the test luck of scholars, so every year on July 7th, his birthday, scholars should solemnly worship.

Drying books and clothes

It is reported that Sima Yi was highly valued by Cao Cao because of his high position and power. In view of the political darkness at that time, he pretended to be crazy and hid at home in order to protect himself. Wei Wudi was still worried, so he sent a close friend to let history secretly explore the truth. It was July 7, and Sima Yi, who was pretending to be crazy and selling stupidity, was also drying books at home. Make history back to leave Wei Wudi, Wei Wudi immediately ordered Sima Yi back to the office, otherwise you can be taken into custody. Sima yi only obediently obeyed and returned to the DPRK. Another kind of people, in troubled times, express their depression through depravity. They despise etiquette and oppose custom. Liu Yiqing said in volume 25 of Shi Shuo Xin Yu that on July 7th, everyone printed books, and only Long Hao went to bask in the sun. When people asked him why, he replied, "I print books." On the one hand, it despises the custom of printing books, on the other hand, it also boasts about the talent in its belly. Drying your belly is also drying books. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the custom of hanging clothes in the Han Dynasty created opportunities for rich children to boast about their wealth. Ruan Xian, one of the "Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest", looked down on this style. On July 7, when neighbors were hanging clothes, they saw that the shelves were full of silks and satins, which was dazzling. Ruan Xian unhurriedly picked up a worn-out dress with a bamboo pole. Someone asked him what he was doing, and he said, "I can't avoid customs and tell you!" " From these short stories, we can see how prosperous the custom of drying books and clothes on Tanabata is.

Heniu birthday

Children will pick wild flowers on Tanabata and hang them on the horns, which is called "Happy Birthday to the Cow" (it is said that Tanabata is the birthday of the Cow).

Eat proper fruit.

Appropriate fruit is the most famous festival food on Tanabata. Proper fruit, also called "Kiki Fruit", has many styles. The main material is oil surface molasses. "Dream of China in Tokyo" refers to it as "laughing boy" and "eating fruit patterns", and the patterns include holding incense and winning prizes. During the Song Dynasty, the unique fruits of Qixi were already sold on the streets of the city.

If you buy a catty of proper fruit, there will be a pair of dolls in armor, such as door gods, which are called "General Fruit food". The way to make a proper fruit is to melt sugar into syrup in a pot, then add flour and sesame seeds, mix well, spread it on the table, let it cool, cut it into squares with a knife, especially fold it into spindle-shaped dough, and fry it until golden. Handy women will also create various patterns related to the legend of Qixi. In addition, the melons and fruits that can be used skillfully can also be varied. Or carve melons and fruits into exotic flowers and birds, or emboss patterns on the surface of melon skin. It is called "flower melon"

Appropriate fruits and melons are the most common Qixi foods. However, in history, different dynasties had different dietary customs. For example, soup cakes were popular in Wei Dynasty on July 7th. In the Tang Dynasty, festival foods included cakes on July 7th, which was designated as the book-drying festival. Each of the three provinces and six departments gives a certain amount of banquet money, which is called the book-drying party. Tanabata is also a day suitable for dispensing medicines. It is said to be a secret recipe with pine and cypress as medicinal materials. This magic pill was made with dew on July 7th. Taking one pill can prolong life for ten years, and taking two pills can prolong life for twenty years. In addition, there are bait pine nuts, arborvitae seeds, stacked lotus leaves and so on. , are called the medicine of immortality. The more practical prescriptions are dried Sophora juice for hemorrhoids, fried bitter gourd for eyes, and pedicled melon for diarrhea. Only those who have tried know how effective it is.

Different customs in different places

Guangdong qinianghui

In Guangdong, Valentine's Day in China received the most attention during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and there were many interesting customs. In Qu Dajun's Guangdong Newspeak, the grand occasion of the "Seven Mothers' Meeting" in the early Qing Dynasty was recorded, and many interesting customs were circulated in the Republic of China. In Qu Dajun's Guangdong Xinyu, the grand occasion of the "Seven Mothers' Meeting" in the early Qing Dynasty has been recorded, and people often call it "worshipping Seven Sisters". According to the memories of the old people who participated in the "Seven Sisters Worship" activities during the Republic of China, "Seven Sisters Worship" was particularly popular in Xiguan, Guangzhou. Activities are generally carried out among young girls and young women (men and elderly women can only watch and salute). Organize a dozen good sisters to prepare for "Seven Sisters worship" in advance. In June, some rice, wheat and mung beans will be soaked in porcelain bowls to make them germinate. Tanabata is getting busier as it approaches. We need to raise some money and ask our families to help us build a magpie bridge with bamboo paper and make all kinds of exquisite handicrafts. On the evening of Chinese Valentine's Day, the square table was set up in the hall, embroidered tables (table skirts) were tied, and various colorful flower and fruit products and needlework were placed to show the ingenuity of the daughters. Paper-cut safflower belt surrounds the rice seedling and bean sprout tray, and oil lamps are lit in the tray, revealing colorful tissue paper lampshades under the light, which is dazzling; There are carefully arranged flower arrangements, and flowers such as vanilla, jasmine and jasmine are inserted in copper porcelain vases; There are lotus flowers, roses, nightingales and camellias in the small basin, which are as big as teaspoons. One is real and the other is fake, so it's hard to tell the difference between true and false. There are also fruit bowls that cut and fold raw fruits such as apples, peaches and persimmons into various shapes such as birds and beasts; Embroidered clothes, shoes, socks and flower clogs; Small curtains, sheets, curtains and skirts embroidered with gold and silver colored lines; Nail-sized fans and handkerchiefs; In short, the more meticulous, the more skillful, that is, pavilions made of fine wood, and small boards attached to local bean seedlings and millet seedlings. In addition, rice grains, sesame seeds, rushes and colored paper are used to make various forms of towers, tables and chairs, bottle ovens, flowers and fruits, Four Treasures of the Study and beans with various patterns and characters. There are also lanterns made of glass or colored paper, palace lanterns, pomelo peels, eggshell lanterns (carved with landscape flowers and birds) and animal-shaped lanterns. The most pleasing thing is the exquisite dolls made of colored silk by daughters, that is, dolls. The puppy has the image of a cowherd, a weaver girl and a pair of young children, usually placed on the upper floor, and a child playing the piano and dancing on the bottom floor to celebrate the meeting of the two stars. There are also complete sets of drama characters such as The West Chamber, The Red Chamber and Miss Yangmen (there are also porcelain dolls, which parents buy for their young children as holiday gifts). In addition, of course, cosmetics need to be placed, such as small rouge boxes, mirrors, colored combs, velvet flowers, powder cakes and so on. For weavers and daughters. There are wax figures, fruits, small animals and so on. In addition, there are sweet and salty snacks, tea, wine, melon seeds, peanuts and other foods. There are candlesticks, incense burners and incense sticks, which are lit with good sandalwood. It is essential.

Daughters should dress up to their heart's content on Tanabata night, bathe and wash their hair in Tianhe, then put on a brocade skirt, coat and cheongsam, comb their hair in a bun, and put on flowers such as Prynne and Jasminum giraldii. Then thrush, pink, crimson lips, forehead print; Dye nails with impatiens juice. After wearing this dress, the daughters descended to earth like fairies, sitting around the square table and the magpie bridge, playing all kinds of games: or entertaining themselves, singing poems in pairs, guessing riddles, worshipping with needles and begging for wisdom; Pointing to the Big Dipper in the sky (it is said that the Weaver Girl is a member of the seven-star sisters) and the double star, telling stories, poems and allusions of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl; Or invite Geji, sing Cantonese opera and play eight songs. The daughters also play Qin Xiao and other musical instruments by themselves. At this time, people can go to other people's homes to visit the table furnishings. Although there are many people, the host is happy to entertain them. Celebrate until midnight, which is an auspicious moment for the Weaver Girl to come down to earth. At this time, all the lights and candles were lit, colorful and brilliant; The girls were in high spirits, threading needles and welcoming Seventh Sister, and cheers were everywhere. Finally, I had a banquet and then I broke up. As Wang Lun, a poet in the Qing Dynasty (the legendary fish name), heard in "Poems on Bamboo Branches on the Qixi Festival in Yangcheng": "Embroidered jade leaves are the second, flowers are the obstacles, and jade is the platform. Qingxi's youngest daughter Lan Qiaomei has an appointment. "

Taiwan Province Province-Worship "Bed Mom"

In addition to paying homage to seven mothers on Tanabata, Taiwan Province Province often prepares a small bowl of oil rice to pay homage to the "bed mother" in the room, which should have a similar meaning. Childbearing is an irreplaceable responsibility of women, so these gods are also goddesses; There is a close connection between goddess and female believers, which relieves women's anxiety and fear when they undertake motherhood. "Bed mom" is the patron saint of children. July 7th is the birthday of my bed mother. Families with children at home worship their mothers at the bedside where their children sleep that night. The offerings are: fried rice, chicken wine (or sesame oil chicken), roasted "square gold" and "bed clothes". You can't worship your mother for too long, unlike the usual worship, you need three rounds of wine. After the offerings are set and the incense is lit, you can prepare to burn "square gold" and "bed mother clothes", and then withdraw the offerings after burning. I hope the children will grow up quickly and don't worship for too long.

Jiangsu-Qixi Xiangqiao Expo

In Gudoujing Village, Tang Hui Town, Jiaxing, Jiangsu, there is a Qixi Xiangqiao Club. Every year on Tanabata, someone will participate and build a fragrant bridge. The so-called fragrant bridge is a bridge about four or five meters long and half a meter wide. It is made of all kinds of thick and long wrapped incense (paper wrapped incense), mounted with railings and decorated with flowers made of five-color lines. In the evening, people offered sacrifices to the Double Star, begging for good luck, and then burned Xiangqiao, symbolizing that the Double Star had crossed Xiangqiao and met happily. This fragrant bridge originated from the legendary magpie bridge legend.

Hunan and Zhejiang-women wash their hair and collect dew.

It is also a special custom for women to wash their hair on Tanabata. It is recorded in Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. For example, in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, "Records of Youxian County": "On July 7, women picked peach branches with cypress leaves and soaked them in soup." The famous essayist (from Zhejiang) also mentioned in her Notes that her mother, uncles, aunts and other harem members all washed their hair on Tanabata. This custom is related to the Tanabata belief in "holy water". It is believed that taking spring water and river water on Tanabata Day is as sacred as taking water from the Milky Way. Some places directly call it "the holy water of Tiansun (Weaver Girl)". Therefore, it is of special significance for women to wash their hair on this day, which means that with the holy water of the Milky Way, they will be protected by the goddess Vega.

It is also popular to catch dew with a washbasin. Legend has it that the dew on Tanabata is the tears when cowherd and weaver girl meet. If you put it in your eyes and hands, it can make people agile.

Jiaodong-Worship Seven Sisters

In Jiaodong area, more people worship Seven Sisters on Tanabata. Young women put on new clothes, got together, tied the knot for Seven Sisters in the court, and sang songs: "Yellow Emperor, I invited Seven Sisters to heaven. I don't want to draw your needle, I don't want to draw your line, I want to show you 72 good means. " In many places, "Qiao Hua" has also been made. Girls use flour to make cakes and buns of peony, lotus, plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum and other flowers (or appropriate fruits), and there are also clever colors, that is, to cultivate malt in a small handleless wine cup (this is the "breeding" in the Song Dynasty), and to sacrifice to Weaver with appropriate fruits and clever colors.

Southwest China-nail dyeing

Nail dyeing is the custom of Qixi Festival, which is popular in southwest China. It is also popular in many county records in Sichuan Province, as well as in Guizhou and Guangdong. Young girls in many areas like to wash their hair with the sap of trees during festivals. It is said that not only young and beautiful, but also unmarried women can find the right husband as soon as possible. Dyeing nails with flowers and plants is also a hobby of most women and children in holiday entertainment, and it is also closely related to reproductive beliefs.

Guangzhou-welcome immortals

Guangzhou's begging festival is unique. Before the festival comes, the girls prepare colored paper, medulla tetrapanacis, string, etc. in advance and weave them into various fancy gadgets. They also put seeds and mung beans in a small box and soaked them in water to germinate them. Buds grow to more than two inches and are used to worship the gods, which are called "worshipping the immortals" and "worshipping the gods". From the sixth night to the seventh night, the girls put on new clothes and jewelry for two nights in a row. After all the arrangements are made, they burn incense and light candles and bow down to the stars, which is called "welcoming the immortals". From the third night to the fifth watch, they will worship seven times in a row. After worshipping the immortals, the girls passed through the pinholes with colored threads in their hands. For example, those who can wear seven pinholes in one breath are called skillful hands, and those who can't wear seven pinholes are called skillful hands. After Tanabata, the girls exchanged small crafts and toys to show their friendship.

Shaanxi-ligating ancient bridge

In the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province, it is also a custom to hold various begging activities on Tanabata night. Women often have to tie up grass people in flowered clothes, which is called the ancient bridge. They should not only provide melons and fruits, but also plant bean sprouts and shallots. On the night of Qixi, all the women held a bowl of water in their hands, cut bean sprouts and shallots, put them into the water, and used the shadow of the moon to predict the fate of cleverness. They also wear needles and thread to compete. At the same time, there will be activities to cut window grilles.

Guangxi-Tanabata Water Storage

There is a custom of storing water on Tanabata in some areas of Guangxi. It is believed that double seven baths can eliminate disasters and diseases. Sick children often tie a red rope into seven knots on this day and wear it around their necks to pray for health and good luck.

Shandong —— Grow smart vegetables into smart flowers.

There are two activities in Rongcheng, Shandong. One is "clever dishes", that is, young girls cultivate malt in wine glasses, and the other is "Qiao Hua", where young girls use flour to shape various foods with flowers.

Shaoxing-Listen to the whispers under the pumpkin shed.

In the countryside of Shaoxing, there will be many young girls hiding under the leafy pumpkin shed. If we can hear the whisper of the meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in the dead of night, the girl to be married will definitely get this eternal love in the future.