CHINESE DOUBLE SEVENTH FESTIVAL (QIXI)
7th day of 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar
The Qixi Festival (Chinese: 七夕節), also known as the Qiqiao Festival (Chinese: 乞巧节), is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on the Chinese calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival.
The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver maid and the cowherd, respectively. The tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han Dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry. The Qixi festival inspired Tanabata festival in Japan, Chilseok festival in Korea, and Thất Tịch festival in Vietnam.
