What is Chinese Valentine’s Day and how is it celebrated? When is Chinese Valentine’s Day on the Gregorian calendar? 7th day of the 7th month valentines present for new boyfriend the Chinese lunar calendar. According to legend, Zhinü, represented by the star Vega, was one of the daughters of the Jade Emperor.
Zhinü’s mother, the Goddess of Heaven, soon discovered that Zhinü had married a mortal and promptly sent soldiers to retrieve her. The soldiers made quick work of their assignment and, tragically, the lovers were separated. In the face of his devastating loss, Zhinü’s mortal husband Niulang carried their two children to heaven in search of his beloved wife. Yet the Goddess of Heaven, ever the controlling mother, quickly learned of Niulang’s arrival and created a tremendous river—the Milky Way itself—between him and Zhinü to separate them for eternity.
Witnessing this most romantic scene unfold—and to the delight of lovers worldwide—the Goddess of Heaven underwent a dramatic change of heart! She thus decided to allow the lovers to meet on the Magpie Bridge each year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month forevermore. In 2021, Qixi Festival will fall on August 14 on the Gregorian calendar. In 2022, it will be celebrated on August 5. The Chinese Valentine’s Day is a time for couples to express their love, which they usually do with an array of elaborate gifts and gestures. Like any romantic holiday, couples spend time together, enjoy a nice dinner, exchange gifts, go to the cinema, etc. Qixi Festival brings an air of romanticism to the streets of China, with couples gazing into the night sky in search of the stars Vega and Altair.
Traditionally, women also pray to Zhinü for wisdom, a good husband, and a happy life. Valentine’s Day is mainly popular amongst younger generations as it is an import from the West, and it is celebrated a bit differently in China. Usually, women gift chocolate to their partners to show their appreciation and love. Men are then expected to return the favor one month later, as we’ll see below. On this day, men are expected to reciprocate the gifts received on February 14th and present their partners with white chocolates. They are also expected to buy gifts that are greater in value than those received from their significant other the previous month. Although White Valentine’s Day was originally created by the confectionery industry in Japan in the 1970s, it soon became very popular throughout East Asia.
Therefore, May 20th has become yet another Chinese Valentine’s Day! Although not as popular as the Qixi Festival, it is still a day for couples to exchange love notes, money-filled red envelopes, and small gifts. There is actually a holiday for singles in China. In fact, Singles’ Day is so popular that it now ranks as the biggest 24-hour shopping event in the world! Although it’s no longer considered a romantic holiday today, the Lantern Festival was also associated with love and romance in ancient China and is sometimes referred to as the “real” traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day. Now that you know the basics about romantic holidays in China, why not brush up on your Chinese vocabulary?