Qi Xi Festival

Qi Xi Festival is also known as Magpie Festival, falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. It is sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day. Young Girls traditionally demonstrate their domestic arts, especially melon carving, on this day and make wishes for a good husband. In late summer, the stars are high in the night sky, and the Chinese tell the following love story.

Niulang and Zhinu meet on the bridge.

A young cowherd, Niulang came across with a beautiful girl called Zhinu, the 7th daughter of the Goddess, who just has escaped from boring heaven to look for fun. She soon fell in love with Niulang, and they got married without the knowledge of the Goddess. But the Goddess of Heaven found out that Zhinu had married a mere mortal. The Goddess ordered her to return to heaven. On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wife had disppeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killed it and put its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife. The Goddess discovered this and was very angry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky to separate the 2 lovers forever. But once a year, all the magpies in the world would take pity in them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge over the star, so the lovers may be together for a single night.

In traditions, a festoon is placed in the yard and the single or newly married women in the household make an offering to Niulang and Zhinu consisting of fruits, flowers, tea and facial powder. After finishing the offering, half of the facial powder is thrown on the roof and the other half divided among the young women of the household. It is believed that by doing this, the women are bound in beauty with Zhinu.

Festoon is an arrangement of flowers, foilage or fruit bound together and suspended by ribbons.