The Chinese Qixi Festival is much more than a day of flowers and chocolates. This ancient celebration, a blend of legend and cultural traditions, persists in contemporary times. Observed on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, Qixi is commemorated in countries like Singapore and Vietnam as well as China. In 2026, the festival occurred on August 19.
In Beijing, the Folk Custom Museum marked the festival with activities under the “Asking for Skills” program. Historically, Qixi involved women praying for skillfulness and demonstrating their abilities through crafts. Jia Juan, a member of the museum’s Public Education Department, expressed hopes that young audiences would grasp the festival’s significance through interactive experiences.
The museum, located within Beijing’s Dongyue Taoist Temple, has held Qixi activities for 14 years, drawing around 500 participants each time. These programs include classical music performances and traditional craft-making activities for families. A notable activity involves dyeing fingernails with garden balsam, a natural pigment symbolizing beauty and blessings. Participants can also engage in Song brocade bead painting, blending Chinese silk fabric with pearls representing completeness and fortune.
Wang Xuejie, with her young daughter, experienced creating “qiaoguo,” a decorative pastry, sharing insights into how girls and women historically expressed aspirations during Qixi.
Jia explained that the practice of qiqiao, begun during the Tang and Song dynasties (7th to 13th centuries), is rooted in star worship and speculation. At Qixi’s center lie two elements: a romantic legend and qiqiao. According to mythology, Zhinü, symbolized by the Vega star, falls in love with Niulang, represented by Altair. Their forbidden love leads to separation by the Jade Emperor across the Milky Way, meeting only on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month with a bridge of magpies.
The Cowherd and Weaver Girl story dates back to before 221 B.C., with qiqiao customs developing during the Han Dynasty. Modern efforts also continue to revive Qixi. Lynn Wong initiated Qixi Fest in Singapore in 2023 to rekindle memories for new generations. Wong’s research into Chinese festivals revealed her unfamiliarity with Qixi, prompting interviews with elders and a documentation book. Qixi reached Singapore in the 1930s alongside Chinese women migrants from Guangdong, their customs gradually faded over time.
Hor Xin Hao, Cantonese by descent, keeps Qixi’s traditional observance alive in Singapore. On the festival’s eve, his family sets out offerings to the Seven Maidens, including the Weaver Girl, praying past midnight. These offerings, such as incense and perfume, are believed to invite beauty and charm.
Hor views Qixi as a celebration of traditional values opposed to a narrow interpretation equating it with Valentine’s Day, encapsulating human interaction with the universe.