Episode35: Qixi Festival & Valentine's Day
Qixi Festival & Valentine’s Day Welcome to this edition of China Lifestyle Journeys, the series that brings you chats, discussions and insights on all aspects of Chinese living. We will cover festivals, food, traditions, customs and much, much more. I’m your host Jocelyn… and I’m Mat, just an English guy with lots of questions.So, Mat, what’s your big question today?(Mat)Hello and welcome to another episode of China Lifestyle Journeys. And today we are talking about something that I guess most people know about. And that’s Valentine’s Day, or should I say we are going to talk two important dates in the calendar1, Valentine’s Day and something called the Qixi Festival. So first of all, I think a good place to start is with the question, is the Qixi Festival the same as Valentine’s Day?(Jocelyn)Thank you, Mat. Yes, that’s a good question to open with. So, both the Qixi Festival and Valentine's Day are celebrations of love. They do have some differences. The Qixi Festival, is sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day, and I think this can cause some confusion, because it’s actually celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar2 month in the Chinese calendar (which is usually around the month of August), whereas the Valentine’s Day is in February. And the Qixi Festival has its own unique customs, traditions and cultural significance, so it’s quitemisleading3 to call it “Chinese Valentine’s Day”, actually. So while they both share some similarities on the theme of love, they havedistinct4 origins, customs, andsymbolism5. So, in short, they are two quite separate and distinct celebrations.(Mat)OK, so now we know that these are two separate things, really quite different. So let’s start with the origins. I know that the European Valentine’s Day comes from both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. It’s a combination ofboth. I think it’s named after a saint, Saint Valentine6, but I remember reading somewhere. There’s actually more than one Saint Valentine, there’s probably about four, so nobody really knows the story behind the celebration of Valentine’s Day, because there are many different versions of the same story. So, Jocelyn, tell me something about the origins of the QixiFestival.(Jocelyn)OK. The origins of the Qixi Festival can be traced back to ancient Chinese folklore7. The festival is based on an interesting legend about two characters Niulang (the Cowherd8) and Zhinv (the Weaving9 Maid). The story goes that a warm-hearted10 cowherd called Niulang, who lost his parents and led a hard life with an old ox, and he fell in love with11 a girl named Zhinv, a weaving maid who escaped from the heaven because all the strict rules there made her life dull. So, in the story, they got married, and soon had two children and lived together happily for a few years.However, Zhinv’s mother, the Empress of Heaven12, was quite angry to find that her daughter had married a simple and poor human and sent soldiers to fetch13 her back.Then Niulang tried to go to heaven to rescue Zhinv but they were separated by the giant river (which is actuallythe Milky Way14) and they could only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and that’s why the Qixi Festival falls on this day.(Mat)Wow, it’s quite a romantic story, which makes sense really, because it’s a romantic festival. Now, obviously on Valentine’s Day, couples buy gifts for each other, they go on dates, and I remember when I was a teenager, there was a special Valentine’s Day ritual. If you had a crush on15 someone, but they didn’t know, because you haven’t told them. You bought a romantic Valentine’s card, you wrote a simple message, such as“be my valentine”, but you didn’t sign your name. It was like a secret love letter, a mystery. It was like sending a message to someone saying “someone likes you”, but it’s not signed, so they never knew who. So, are there any similar traditions or rituals for the QixiFestival?(Jocelyn)Traditionally, in the past, one popular custom was for unmarried women to demonstrate their needlework skills by creating intricate16 handicrafts, such asembroidered17 silkand wovenaccessories18. It was a way for young women to show their creativity and dedication, and also a chance to impress others with their artistic abilities. Another tradition, which still exists in some places today, is making a wish, writing it on a piece of paper, then throwing it into a river or stream during the festival, hoping that the wishes will come true. Usually the wishes are related to love and romance. So in some ways, that’s similar to the secret love letters of Valentine's Day that you mentioned. Today, however, the festival has become increasingly commercialised19 – with many couples celebrating by going on datesor giving each other gifts on that day, again similar to Valentine’sDay.(Mat)OK, so although the origins and original ancient legends are different, I suppose just like many things in the modern world. Once they become more commercial, things tend to become more similar and less unique. They lose some of their original flavour. So as we are talking about festivals, I always have to ask, are there any foods that are traditionallyeaten on this festival?(Jocelyn)Well actually, there are some. The most well-known is probably something called “Qiaoguo20” pastry. It’s a thin pastry made from flour, sugar,sesame21 and sometimes honey. The fragrant and sweet pastry dough22 is moulded into different shapes and decorated with elegant patterns and decorative designs. In some regions of China, they deep fry this Qiaoguo pastry. It’s really delicious. I recommend that you try it if you have a chance. (Mat)You don’t have to convince me. Deep fried sweet pastry sounds amazing. It’s now on my list of things to try.Well, that’s it for today. We hope you enjoyed this episode, thanks for listening. We hope to see you again next time. Until then, goodbye. Stay wise.Key words and expressions:calendar CET4n.[C] /ˈkæləndər/ 日历a printed table showing all the days, weeks, and months of the yeare.g. a calendar for 2023 2023年的日历lunar CET4 / IELTS / TOEFLadj./ˈluːnər/ 月亮的，月球的of or relating to the moone.g. lunar calendar 阴历，农历misleading CET4 / IELTS / TOEFL adj. /ˌmɪsˈliːdɪŋ/ 误导的causing someone to believe something that is not truee.g. Adverts must not create a misleading impression. 广告不得产生误导印象。distinct CET4adj./dɪˈstɪŋkt/ 明显不同的，差别明显的clearly separate and different (from something else)e.g. The use of chopsticks is a distinct cultural feature that sets Chinese dining etiquette (礼节) apart from many Western cultures.使用筷子是一个独特的文化特征，使得中国饮食礼仪与许多西方文化形成了明显的文化特色差异。symbolism IELTS / TOEFL n.[U] /ˈsɪmbəlɪzəm/ 象征手法the use of symbols in art, literature, films, etc. to represent idease.g. The red colour often used during Chinese New Year holds significant symbolism, representing luck, happiness, and prosperity. 在中国新年期间常用的红色具有重要的象征意义，代表着幸运、快乐和繁荣。Saint Valentine 圣瓦伦丁Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Christian martyr (殉道者), defied (反抗) a Roman ban on young men’s marriages. He was executed (处决) on February 14th. This day later evolved into Valentine’s Day, celebrating love and affection.folklore CET6 / IELTS / TOEFLn.[U] /ˈfəʊklɔːr/ 民间传说，民俗the traditional stories and culture of a group of peoplee.g.the Department of ChineseFolklore Culture中国民间文化研究所cowherd IELTS / TOEFLn.[C] /ˈkaʊhɜːd/ 牧牛人a person employed to take care of cattlee.g. the Cowherd 牛郎 weavingCET4n.[U] /ˈwiːvɪŋ/ 编织 the act of making clothe.g. the Weaving Maid 织女 warm-heartedCET4adj. /ˌwɔːmˈhɑːtɪd/ 热心肠的，友好的kind and lovinge.g. She’s a good, warm-hearted woman. 她是位热心肠的好人。 fall in love with… 爱上（某人），（与某人）相爱to start to love someone romanticallye.g. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. 从见到你那一刻，我就爱上你的。the Empress of Heaven 王母娘娘 Fetch CET4 v. /fetʃ/to go to another place to get something or someone and bring it, him, or her backe.g. I have to fetch my mother from the station. 我得去车站接我母亲。 the Milky Way银河，在此处译为“天河” have a crush on…迷恋，暗恋a romantic infatuation (热恋) with someone, especially unbeknownst (在不知道的情況下) to that persone.g. I think you have a crush on somebody. 我觉得你有暗恋的人了。 intricateCET6 / IELTS / TOEFL adj./ˈɪntrɪkət/ 错综复杂的having a lot of small parts that are arranged in a complicated or delicate waye.g. The cloth has bright colors and intricate patterns. 这块布有着明亮的颜色和复杂的图案。embroidered GRE / IELTS / TOEFL adj./ɪm'brɔɪdəd/ 绣花的decorative process of adding intricate designs, patterns, and images to fabric using needle and threade.g. the embroidered silk丝绸刺绣accessory CET6 / IELTS / TOEFLn.[C] /əkˈsesəri/ 装饰品，配饰something added to a machine or to clothing that has a useful or decorative purposee.g. The delicate jade bracelet was not only a fashionable accessory but also held great cultural significance in traditional Chinese beliefs. 这款精致的玉手镯不仅是时尚的配饰，还在中国传统信仰中具有重要的文化意义。 commercialise CET4v./kəˈmɜːʃəlaɪz/ 使商业化to organise something to make a profite.g. Local farmers began seeking ways to commercialise their unique agricultural products to attract more tourists for visits. 当地农民开始寻求方法来商业化他们的特色农产品，以吸引更多游客参观。 Qiaoguo 巧果special traditional pastries, festive foods for the Qixi Festivalsesame GRE / IELTS / TOEFLn.[U] /ˈsesəmi/ 芝麻a herb grown for its small oval seeds and its oile.g. sesame oil / seeds 芝麻油／籽 pastry dough糕点面团
