Both faithful readers know that we don\u2019t go out on Valentine\u2019s Day (February 14) because the restaurants are always too crowded, many have limited menus and we just find it generally more trouble than its worth. We usually go out a day before or after to celebrate the day in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But luckily, come August, Chinese Valentine\u2019s Day appears \u2014 and we can go out without those \u201cmaddening crowds.\u201d
Actually yesterday was the Qixi Festival\u00a0 or Double Seven Festival and has always been the most romantic of traditional Chinese festivals, and especially since China\u2019s globalization, it\u2019s become known as Chinese Valentine\u2019s Day. The day falls on the 7th day of the 7th Chinese lunar month. This year, in 2023, that was yesterday \u2014 August 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today in also sometimes referred to as The Daughter\u2019s Festival \u2014 a day dedicated to unmarried young girls looking for love.If you\u2019re interested in the detailed background for this celebration, you can check the archives of this blog. But basically, this festival began because of an old Chines love story about the 7th daughter of the Emperor of Heaven and and an orphaned cowherd (someone that tends grazing cattle.) The emperor separated them and the 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the coward moved to the star Altair. They are allowed to meet only once a year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This festival is celebrated in China, but it\u2019s not a public holiday. And unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, even in China, Western Valentine\u2019s Day in now more popular than the Qixi Festival.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Both faithful readers know that we don\u2019t go out on Valentine\u2019s Day (February 14) because the restaurants are always too crowded, many have limited menus and we just find it generally more trouble than its worth. We usually go out … Continue reading