明天将是中国传统节日——七夕节

Tomorrow will be Qixi Festival, a traditional Chinese festival. 

在古代，佛山人在七夕望月观星，乞巧祈愿。在当代，因为“牛郎织女鹊桥相会”的传说，七夕节逐渐有了“中国情人节”的文化含义。

In ancient times, Foshan people admired the stars for nice weaving skills on Qixi Festival. In modern times, due to the legend of "cowherd and weaver meeting on the magpie-bridge", Qixi Festival culturally becomes "Chinese Valentines Day" step by step.

旧时佛山的“七夕”习俗

Foshan customs during the Qixi Festival in the past

“乞巧，乞巧，祈出心灵手巧”

The wish for better weaving skills

七夕节，在佛山又称为“七姐诞”，是未婚少女的节日。七夕前，同族姐妹们组成了“拜七姐会”，在祠堂里，组织“摆巧（摆七夕）”、“赛巧（斗巧）”、“迎仙”和“拜仙”。姑娘们通过摆巧、赛巧等各种活动比赛谁更心灵手巧，并祈祷遇到如意郎君。

The Qixi Festival, also known as "the Birthday of Qijie" in Foshan, is a festival for unmarried girls. Before Qixi Festival, girls of the same gens formed "the Qijie Admiring Union" to organize "Weave Posing", "Weaving Contest", "Immortals Welcoming" and "Immortals Worshiping" in the ancestral hall. The girls competed through various activities such as posing weave and weave contest for the best weaver title, and prayed to meet their Mr. Right.

《牛郎织女》佛山木版年画 民国

"Cowherd and Weaver" Foshan New Year Woodblock Painting (Republic of China)

“迎仙”和“拜仙”

Immortals Welcoming and Worshiping 

到了初六初更（戌时，19点至21点），年轻姑娘焚香燃烛，向空礼叩，求七姐赐予聪明、智慧、美貌，乞求爱情婚姻的姻缘巧配，希望幸福和好运降临。

From 19:00 to 21:00 on the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, young girls burned incense and lit candles, and kowtowed to the air, begging Qijie for wisdom, beauty, a perfect match for love and marriage, and wishing for happiness and good fortune.

“赛巧”

Weaving Contest 

拜仙礼后，姑娘会进行赛巧手活动——“对月穿针”。她们一人一个蒲团，并排跪在香案前，手执彩线对着月光将线穿过针孔，如能一口气穿过七枚针孔，便是“得巧”，穿不到七孔就叫做“输巧”。在三水，姑娘们或两手在背后，或两手高举过头、或蒙着双眼用五色丝线穿针，由上年的巧手当裁判，看谁穿得又准又快。

After the Immortals Worshiping ceremony, girls will have weaving contest, piercing needles facing the moon. They knelt side by side in front of the incense table, holding the colored thread against the moonlight and passing the thread through the pinhole. One wins by passing through seven pinholes in one take, otherwise, one loses. In Sanshui, girls used five-color silk thread to pierce needles by putting their hands behind their backs, or raising their heads up high, or blindfolding their eyes. The last-year winning weavers judge to see who dresses the most accurately and quickly.

 

《鹊桥会》 民国 扇画

"Meeting on the Magpie-bridge" Fan Painting (Republic of China)

“七夕”并非就只有情人才能过

"Qixi Festival" is not the privilege of lovers

储“七夕水”

Qixi Liquid-storing

七夕当天，把新鲜冬瓜洗净切成小块，放入陶罐或瓦埕中。经过长时间发酵、沉淀、化解，冬瓜变成了瓜汁，据说饮用冬瓜水对治疗温热、中暑、发烧有奇效。

On the Qixi Festival, people wash and cut the fresh white gourd into small pieces, and put them in a clay pot or tile. After a long period of fermentation, precipitation, and dissolution, the gourd turns into juices. It is said that drinking the white gourd liquid is effective in curing heat and pathogen, heatstroke and fever.

放“鸭仔”

Releasing floury ducks

初七大清早，长辈用粘米粉加水捏成小鸭形状，蒸熟后，用稻草缠成小鸭窝。人们点燃香烛，把一窝窝“鸭仔”轻轻放到水面，口中念着祝祷语，希望家中小孩像鸭仔一样粗生粗长，像鸭仔—样能走能跑，落水能游，快高长大。

In the early morning of the seventh day on the seventh lunar month, the elders made duckling dough by mixing sticky rice flour and water. After steaming, the dough will be wrapped with straw to form a duck nest. People light incense candles and lightly place nests of "ducks" on the water, chanting prayers, wishing that the children in the family grow strong, walk, run and swim freely and develop healthily like a duck do.

Author | Annie

Editor | Anthony

Revisor | Jessica