In the old custom, a few days before Tanabata, a layer of soil was first applied to a small wooden board, and the seeds of millet were sprinkled to make it grow green seedlings. Then some huts and flowers were placed on it to make it look like a small village where people live in heaven, which was called "shell board", or mung beans, adzuki beans and wheat were soaked in a magnetic bowl until it grew into inch-by-inch buds, and then red flowers were placed on it. All parts of the south are also called "bubble cleverness", and the sprouted bean sprouts are called smart buds. Even the needles are replaced by smart buds and thrown on the water to beg for cleverness. Wax is also used to create various images, such as the characters in the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, or the shapes of animals such as vultures and mandarin ducks, which float on the water, which is called "floating on the water". There are also baby dolls made of wax, which women can buy home and float in the water and soil to show their good luck to their children, and they are called "metaplasia".
Worship the Weaver Girl: "Worship the Weaver Girl" is purely a matter for girls and young women. Most of them make an appointment with five or six people, at most a dozen people, with friends or neighbors in advance to hold it together. The ceremony was held in the moonlight, with tea and wine on the table. Fruits, five sons (longan, red dates, hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds) and other sacrifices; There are also some flowers, tied with red paper, inserted in the bottle, with a small incense burner in front. Then, the young women and girls who make an appointment to attend the worship of the Weaver Maid will fast for one day, take a bath and come to their host's house on time. After burning incense in front of the case, everyone will sit around the table and meditate on their thoughts while eating peanuts and melon seeds. If a girl wants to be beautiful or marry a husband, and a young woman wants to have a baby early, she can silently pray to the Weaver Girl. Play until midnight.
Bai Kuixing: It is said that July 7th is Kuixing's birthday. Kuixing literature, literati who want to be famous especially worship Kuixing, so they must worship him on Tanabata and pray for his success in the exam. Kuixing is mainly Kuidou, the Kuixing in the twenty-eight nights, the first star of the Big Dipper, and also the Kuixing or champion. In ancient times, scholars were called "the greatest scholars in the world" or "winning the championship in one fell swoop" because Kuixing was in charge of the exam. According to folklore, Lord Kuixing is ugly, his face is covered with spots and he is lame. Someone wrote a limerick to make fun of him: if you don't publicize it, why decorate it? Even lead, don't cover it. Marrying Ma Gu into two beauties is no worse than coming to the hive. Leave claws under the eyebrows, and geese step on the sand beside their noses and mouths. It's just a nap in front of the eaves, and the wind blows plum blossoms on your forehead. Xiang Jun's jade toe is the strangest, with one high and one low. Walking slowly, I want to dance, fluttering like a mouth. Only the road in the world is dangerous, and I am so tired that I am surprised. Don't laugh, the waist branches are often half folded, and the temporary swaying is also colorful.
However, the champion was ambitious and worked hard, so he went to high school. When the Emperor visited him, he asked him why his face was covered with spots. He replied: "Ma's face is full of stars"; Asked why he was lame, he replied "hop on one foot". The emperor was very satisfied and accepted him. Another completely different legend says that Lord Kuixing was knowledgeable before his death, but unfortunately he failed every exam, so he threw himself into the river in grief and indignation. Unexpectedly, he was saved by turtle fish and ascended to heaven to become a champion. Because Kuixing can affect the test luck of scholars, every year on July 7th, his birthday, scholars should solemnly worship.
Worship the "Bed Mother": In addition to the seven mothers, Taiwan Province Province often prepares a small bowl of oil rice to worship the "Bed Mother" in the room on Tanabata, which should have a similar meaning. Childbearing is an irreplaceable responsibility of women, so these gods are also goddesses; There is a close connection between goddess and female believers, which relieves women's anxiety and fear when they undertake motherhood. "Bed mom" is the patron saint of children. July 7th is the birthday of my bed mother. Families with children at home worship their mothers at the bedside where their children sleep that night. The offerings are: fried rice, chicken wine (or sesame oil chicken), roasted "square gold" and "bed clothes". You can't worship your mother for too long, unlike the usual worship, you need three rounds of wine. After the offerings are set and the incense is lit, you can prepare to burn "square gold" and "bed mother clothes", and then withdraw the offerings after burning. I hope the children will grow up quickly and don't worship for too long.
Clever attempt to float the needle: July 7 is "Women's Day". The girl held the water in the jar to the sun, with a needle floating in the middle, and took pictures of the shadow in the water to try the trick, resurrect the fruit and compete for the "trick".
Happy Birthday to Cow: Children will pick wild flowers and hang them on their horns on Tanabata, which is called "Happy Birthday to Cow" (it is said that Tanabata is the birthday of Cow).
Wash your hair with sap and dye your nails with flowers: Young girls in many areas like to wash their hair with sap on holidays. It is said that not only young and beautiful, but also unmarried women can find husbands as soon as possible. Dyeing nails with flowers and plants is also a hobby of most women and children in holiday entertainment, and it is also closely related to reproductive beliefs.
Listening to whispers under the pumpkin shed: In the countryside of Shaoxing, many girls will secretly hide under the lush pumpkin shed this night. If they can hear the whispers of Cowherd and Weaver Girl meeting in the dead of night, the girl to be married will get this eternal love in the future.
Welcome to the Fairy: The Begging Festival in Guangzhou is unique. Before the festival comes, the girls prepare colorful paper, medulla tetrapanacis, rope and so on. Advance, and make up all kinds of fancy gadgets. They also put seeds and mung beans in a small box and soaked them in water to germinate them. Buds grow to more than two inches and are used to worship the gods, which are called "rice for worshipping the immortals" and "rice for worshipping the gods". From the sixth night to the seventh night, the girls put on new clothes and jewelry for two nights in a row. After all the arrangements are made, they burn incense and light candles and bow down to the stars, which is called "welcoming the immortals". From the third night to the fifth watch, they will worship seven times in a row. After worshipping the immortals, the girls passed through the pinholes with colored threads in their hands. For example, those who can wear seven pinholes in one breath are called skillful hands, and those who can't wear seven pinholes are called skillful hands. After Tanabata, the girls exchanged small crafts and toys to show their friendship.
In Jiaodong area, there is a custom of worshipping Seven Sisters. Young women often like to get together in new clothes on Tanabata and form an alliance in Seven Sisters at the end of the month. Some people even sang "Emperor Emperor, I invite seven sisters to heaven. Don't look at your needle, don't look at your thread, look at your seventy-two good means. " They also compete for the title of skillful hands.
Eat Smart Food: China's Valentine's Day eating habits vary from place to place, and are generally called smart food. Among them, jiaozi, noodles, avocados, wonton and other foods are used for this festival. If you eat cloud flour, it must be made of dew, and you can get a good taste when you eat it. There are also many folk pastry shops that like to make some crisp candy with the image of Weaver Girl, commonly known as "capable people" and "skillful cakes", and they are also called "sending talented people" when they are sold. This custom has spread in some areas so far.
Seven knots of red rope for Tanabata water storage: Some areas in Guangxi have the custom of Tanabata water storage. It is believed that bathing with double seven waters can eliminate disasters and diseases. Sick children often tie seven knots of red rope on this day and wear it around their necks to pray for health and good luck.
"Seven Sisters Club": Some areas also organize "Seven Sisters Club". "Seven Sisters Clubs" from all over the country gathered in Zongxiangtang, and put on various incense tables to offer sacrifices to the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. The table was covered with flowers, fruits, rouge powder, paper floral dresses, shoes, daily necessities and embroidery. The "Seven Sisters Club" in different regions will work hard on the incense table to see who makes it exquisite. Nowadays, this activity has been forgotten, and only a few ancestral halls still set up incense tables on this festival to worship the cowherd and the weaver girl. Incense tables are usually prepared on the seventh day of July, and at night they begin to plead with the Weaver Girl.
In the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province, there is also the custom of holding various begging activities on Qixi night. Women often have to tie grass for people wearing flowered clothes, which is called the ancient bridge. They not only provide melons and fruits, but also grow bean sprouts and shallots. On the night of Chinese Valentine's Day, all the women carry a bowl of clear water in their hands, cut bean sprouts and shallots, put them into the water, use the shadow of the moon to predict the clever life, and also thread the needle. At the same time, there is also an activity of cutting window grilles more skillfully.
Clear water is a clever trick: Jiangsu's clever trick is to expose a bowl of clean water to the sun and spend the night in the open air. It is to pick up thin straw sticks and float in the water, all by their shadows. There are also many young women who use small needles to see the shadow of underwater needles to fulfill their wisdom and stupidity. Han people in other areas also use this method to make themselves smart and stupid.
Catch dew: In rural areas of Zhejiang, it is popular to catch dew with washbasins. Legend has it that the dew on Tanabata is the tears when cowherd and weaver girl meet. If you put it in your eyes and hands, it can make people agile.
To this day, Tanabata is still a romantic traditional festival. However, many customs have weakened or disappeared, and only the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, which symbolizes loyal love, has been circulated among the people.