Explainer | What is the Qixi Festival? ‘Chinese Valentine’s Day’ story, traditions and food explained
- Love and tradition run deep during the annual Qixi Festival, a 2,000-year-old event which this year will be celebrated on August 10
Think of a day that celebrates love and romance, and Valentine’s Day springs to mind. But in Chinese culture, it is the tradition-rich Qixi Festival that sends hearts aflutter.
Also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day and the Double Seventh Festival, the Qixi Festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which this year falls on August 10.
The festival holds deep cultural significance in Chinese folklore. Many couples time their weddings to coincide with the festival, believing that tying the knot during this auspicious time will bring lots of luck.
Like Valentine’s Day, the Qixi Festival has become heavily commercialised, with gift-giving the main way people express their love.
Luxury brands are cashing in on consumers’ potential spending power.
Marketing campaigns for this year’s Qixi Festival abound, such as Gucci’s featuring actor Zhang Linghe and model He Cong, and one from Bottega Veneta with actress Zhou Yutong, singer Mika Hashizume and model Du Juan that alludes to the love story behind the festival.
