七夕
Qī xī cat1 zik6
- When
- 7th day of the 7th lunar month
- Calendar
- Lunar calendar
Summary
Qixi (七夕) falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, usually in August. Often called Chinese Valentine’s Day, it celebrates the once-a-year reunion of two star-crossed lovers across the Milky Way.
History
The festival comes from the legend of the Cowherd (牛郎, the star Altair) and the Weaver Girl (织女, the star Vega). A mortal cowherd married a heavenly weaving maiden; when the Jade Emperor discovered the match he separated them with the Silver River (the Milky Way), allowing them to meet only once a year — on the seventh night of the seventh month — across a bridge formed by magpies.
What people do
Traditionally young women prayed to the Weaver Girl for skill in needlework and a good marriage, threading needles by moonlight and laying out fruit and flowers — hence its older name, the Begging-for-Skills Festival (乞巧节). Today couples mark it much like Valentine’s Day, with gifts and dates.
Greetings
A common wish is 七夕快乐 (Happy Qixi).
Festival idioms
- 牛郎织女牛郎織女 niú láng zhī nǚ ngau4 long4 zik1 neoi5 Cowherd and Weaving maid (characters in folk story)
- 情比金坚情比金堅 qíng bǐ jīn jiān cing4 bei2 gam1 gin1 love is more solid than gold (idiom)
- 海誓山盟 hǎi shì shān méng hoi2 sai6 saan1 mang4 to pledge undying love (idiom); oath of eternal love
- 一往情深 yī wǎng qíng shēn jat1 wong5 cing4 sam1 deeply attached
- 比翼双飞比翼雙飛 bǐ yì shuāng fēi bei2 jik6 soeng1 fei1 lit. a pair of birds flying close together (idiom)
- 心心相印 xīn xīn xiāng yìn sam1 sam1 soeng1 jan3 two hearts beat as one (idiom); a kindred spirit
- 白头偕老白頭偕老 bái tóu xié lǎo baak6 tau4 gaai1 lou5 (idiom) (of a married couple) to live together until old age; to remain lifelong companions
- 两情相悦兩情相悅 liǎng qíng xiāng yuè loeng5 cing4 soeng1 jyut6 (of a couple) to be harmonious; to be each other's sunshine
- 天长地久天長地久 tiān cháng dì jiǔ tin1 coeng4 dei6 gau2 enduring while the world lasts (idiom)
Public-holiday status
- Mainland China Observance
- Taiwan Observance
- Hong Kong Observance
- Macau Observance
Lunar and Western dates
| Year | Lunar date | Western date |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Fri, Aug 29, 2025 |
| 2026 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Wed, Aug 19, 2026 |
| 2027 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Sun, Aug 8, 2027 |
| 2028 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Sat, Aug 26, 2028 |
| 2029 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Thu, Aug 16, 2029 |
| 2030 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Mon, Aug 5, 2030 |
| 2031 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Sun, Aug 24, 2031 |
| 2032 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Thu, Aug 12, 2032 |
| 2033 | 7th day of the 7th lunar month | Mon, Aug 1, 2033 |