The Chinese folk festivals are deeply influenced by religion, and many of the festivals originate from religious beliefs. Why does the Qixi Festival, which is on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, fall in August? To learn more about the Qixi Festival, visit Huayi Network.
Why is Qixi in August
Qixi is a traditional Chinese festival, so its date is based on the lunar calendar, that is, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year. However, modern society widely uses the Gregorian calendar, and the Gregorian and lunar calendars cannot be directly matched. A Gregorian year has 365 or 366 days, while a lunar year only has 354 or 355 days, with a difference of about 10 days. Therefore, people add an extra leap month to the lunar calendar to adjust the length of the lunar year, avoiding the problem of seasonal misalignment between the lunar and Gregorian calendars.
So there can be a one-month difference between the lunar and Gregorian calendars, leading to the phenomenon where the Qixi Festival on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month falls in August on the Gregorian calendar. According to historical statistics, the earliest Gregorian date for the Qixi Festival was July 31, which occurred in 2006; the latest was August 30, which occurred in 1987. Therefore, it is normal for the Qixi Festival to fall on any day in August on the Gregorian calendar, such as August 22, 2023.
So there can be a one-month difference between the lunar and Gregorian calendars, leading to the phenomenon where the Qixi Festival on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month falls in August on the Gregorian calendar. According to historical statistics, the earliest Gregorian date for the Qixi Festival was July 31, which occurred in 2006; the latest was August 30, which occurred in 1987. Therefore, it is normal for the Qixi Festival to fall on any day in August on the Gregorian calendar, such as August 22, 2023.
Is it good to give shoes to your husband on Qixi?
It is very bad to give shoes to your husband on Qixi.
On the day of Qixi, many couples and lovers exchange gifts to express their feelings for each other. However, neither men nor women should choose shoes as gifts. First of all, shoes represent "walking" and "running," and giving shoes could be bad for the stability of the relationship between the two parties. Married people might face divorce, while unmarried people might break up. Moreover, in traditional Chinese culture, shoes are not suitable as gifts, because "shoe" (鞋) sounds like "evil" (邪), and "giving shoes" (送鞋) equals "giving evil" (送邪), which means bringing evil to the other person, a rather unlucky saying.
On the day of Qixi, many couples and lovers exchange gifts to express their feelings for each other. However, neither men nor women should choose shoes as gifts. First of all, shoes represent "walking" and "running," and giving shoes could be bad for the stability of the relationship between the two parties. Married people might face divorce, while unmarried people might break up. Moreover, in traditional Chinese culture, shoes are not suitable as gifts, because "shoe" (鞋) sounds like "evil" (邪), and "giving shoes" (送鞋) equals "giving evil" (送邪), which means bringing evil to the other person, a rather unlucky saying.
What are the other names of the Qixi Festival?
QiQiao Festival — named after the "Qi Qiao" (begging for skills) custom associated with "Qixi Duan" (the birthday of the Seven Sisters). The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the birthday of the Seven Sisters, and "Qi Qiao" is one of the important customs of "Qixi Duan," so it is also called the "QiQiao Festival."
Daughter's Festival — the Qixi Festival mainly features activities such as young girls worshipping the immortals, begging for skills, and competing in skills, so it is known as the "Daughter's Festival," also called "Daughter's Day" or "Young Girl's Day."
Scented Day — according to folklore, on Qixi, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu meet, and Zhi Nu needs to dress up and apply cosmetics, making the sky fragrant, hence it is called "Scented Day."
Day of the Ox Couple — in Vietnam, the main celebrants of Qixi are the Chinese community, and Qixi has another name called "Day of the Ox Couple."
Weekday — because the stars of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu are in a special position and meet only once a year, this day is called "Weekday."
Children's Festival — since customs such as begging for skills and begging for knowledge are mainly practiced by young girls and children, it is called so.
Lan Night — the seventh lunar month was historically called "Lan Month," so Qixi is also known as "Lan Night."
Piercing Needle Festival — because there is a custom of piercing needles on this day, it is called the "Piercing Needle Festival."
Double Seven — because both the month and the day are seven, it is called so, also known as "Double Seven."
Daughter's Festival — the Qixi Festival mainly features activities such as young girls worshipping the immortals, begging for skills, and competing in skills, so it is known as the "Daughter's Festival," also called "Daughter's Day" or "Young Girl's Day."
Scented Day — according to folklore, on Qixi, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu meet, and Zhi Nu needs to dress up and apply cosmetics, making the sky fragrant, hence it is called "Scented Day."
Day of the Ox Couple — in Vietnam, the main celebrants of Qixi are the Chinese community, and Qixi has another name called "Day of the Ox Couple."
Weekday — because the stars of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu are in a special position and meet only once a year, this day is called "Weekday."
Children's Festival — since customs such as begging for skills and begging for knowledge are mainly practiced by young girls and children, it is called so.
Lan Night — the seventh lunar month was historically called "Lan Month," so Qixi is also known as "Lan Night."
Piercing Needle Festival — because there is a custom of piercing needles on this day, it is called the "Piercing Needle Festival."
Double Seven — because both the month and the day are seven, it is called so, also known as "Double Seven."
