Celebrate 'Love' on Qixi Festival: Chinese Valentine's Day

People usually celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14 every year. But did you know? In China, Chinese Valentine's Day, called Qixi Festival (七夕, pronunciation: cat1 zik6), which has been celebrated for over 2,000 years is also celebrated! In the Lunar calendar, it is the 7th day month and, this it falls on August 10.

Folklore has it that the festival honours the love story of Niulang (牛郎, pronunciation: ngau4 long4), a cowherd, and Zhinü (織女, pronunciation: zik1 neoi5-2), a weaver girl. The Queen Mother of Heaven tore apart their forbidden love, but magpies form a bridge across the stars (the Milky Way) once a year to reunite them.

What is the difference between Valentine's Day and the Qixi Festival?
Valentine's Day and the Qixi Festival celebrate love but differ in their origins, customs, and significance. Valentine's Day is observed on February 14 and has Western roots tied to ancient Roman festivals and Christian saints. The Qixi Festival has been celebrated in China for over 2,000 years, and modern celebrations feature romantic dates and cultural performances. Valentine's Day is widely celebrated globally and is highly commercialized. At the same time, the Qixi Festival has a rich cultural heritage rooted in Chinese folklore and is celebrated primarily in China with less commercialization.

​Here are a few more fun facts about celebrating LOVE in Chinese. Besides Qixi Festival, Chinese people will also celebrate LOVE during these occasions:

The Lantern Festival: On the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, it is an ancient type of Valentine's Day when young people traditionally admired lanterns together. Today, it is celebrated with colourful lantern displays, lion and dragon dances, and eating tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) to symbolize family unity and happiness. This festival marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations and is a time for family gatherings and festive activities.

5-20 (Wǔ-èr líng): This festival falls on May 20. The pronunciation of 'five-two-zero' (Wǔ-èr líng) in Chinese is similar to 'I love you' (我愛你, Wǒ ài nǐ) and it was created for commercial purposes in modern times. It has quickly become famous for couples to express their love, exchange gifts, and celebrate their relationships, similar to Valentine's Day.

All in all, there are lots of good reasons to celebrate love. By understanding the meaning and stories behind them allows us, as communicators and marketers, to work with more compelling tools. And it is all part of storytelling!