The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival, also known as the Qixi Festival or Chinese Valentine’s Day, used to hold a prominent place in Chinese folk culture, featuring numerous customs and traditions. It would be a meaningful endeavour to revive this women-centered festival in the rural New Territories.
According to the legend, the Weaving Maiden (織女) and her sisters made a trip to the human realm on this particular day. As they washed themselves in the rivers, the Cowherd (牛郎) fell in love with the Weaving Maiden at first sight. Deeply in love with one another, the weaving maiden secretly married the Cowherd. The newlyweds led a blissful life on Earth, with the Cowherd tending the fields and the Weaving Maiden crafting exquisite textiles; she even bestowed her otherworldly weaving skills upon the humans.
Unfortunately, the couples’ joy was short-lived as the ‘Queen Mother’ (王母娘娘) descended to the mortal world and brought the Weaving Maiden back to the celestial realm, splitting them apart. The old ox, seeing the Cowherd’s despair, came up with a plan: crafting shoes from its hide would allow the Cowherd to ascend to the heavens and reunite with the Weaving Maiden once more. However, their scheme was discovered by the Queen Mother, who then employed the Milky Way to create a permanent barrier between the two lovers. Moved by their tragic love story, the magpies would form a bridge (鵲橋) for the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. The Queen Mother resignedly approved of their annual reunion.
Event highlights
- Back in the day, women used to seek the Goddess of the Seventh Sister’s blessings for nimble hands on this special occasion. Weaving flower bands (花帶) for ornamental purposes was a skill practised by Hakka women. Hosting a flower band weaving workshop on this occasion would be a fitting way to promote and preserve this almost obsolete handcraft.
- According to legend, it is believed that the Weaving Maiden would return and cleanse herself in the earthly rivers on this particular day. Hence, the river water collected during the Qixi Festival is known as the ‘Qi Jie Water’ (七姐水). The Qi Jie Water is believed to be pristine and enchanted, with distinct sweetness and healing properties. Villagers would collect Qi Jie Water for various purposes, although its therapeutic potency should not be taken too seriously. In earlier days, Hakka women were known to make ‘yellow rice wine’ (黃酒or 「扒黃酒」 in Hakka Dialect) with Qi Jie Water for festive occasions. As part of the event, attendees have the opportunity to visit Ng To Waterfall (五肚瀑布) to procure Qi Jie Water and savour a special ‘yellow rice wine banquet’ (「黃酒宴」) with dishes prepared using yellow rice wine, such as the ‘yellow rice wine chicken’ (黃酒雞), spending a traditional and romantic Qixi Festival together.
- If lodging is possible at the mansion, participants may relax on the lawn and gaze at the constellations of the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden, enriching their understanding of astronomy as they share the tales of the Qixi Festival.