Happy Chinese Valentines Day! Well, tomorrow, August 16, according to the lunar calendar and Chinese tradition is Chinese Valentine’s Day.

I mentioned I have two wedding anniversaries – one for the civil ceremony and one for the reception. My memory was betraying me, as it often does. There is a third wedding anniversary for me and Mrs. Stevo: Qi Xi – Chinese Valentines Day.

We were married on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, aka 7-7, aka Chinese Valentines Day (one of three, I believe), aka The Night of Sevens. It wasn’t planned. Our marriage was supposed to take place two or three days earlier, but I went to the wrong station, missed my train, and did not end up meeting the future Mrs. Stevo at the appointed time. We met, in her province, a few days later.

On the way to the station that fateful day in 2006, Mrs. Stevo mentioned it was 7-7. My knowledge of the lunar calendar was, and still is, limited. Lunar means moon, doesn’t it?  My understanding of this time system is that it wreaks havoc with holidays: Each year they are on a different day.

“It’s Chinese Valentines Day?” I asked.

“Yes, 7-7,” replied my almost-bride.

Some romantic chord resounded deep within me . We had to be married that day, The Fates were smiling blessings upon us. It was fortuitous; it was good luck, utter serendipity. I jogged through the station, Mrs. Stevo trailing in my determined wake. In the pitfalls that followed, a late train, less-than-knowledgably taxi drivers, and the summer heat that threatened to melt an unconditioned North American, I kept my eye on that prize. To be married on 7-7…

At the registry office, we said our vows, waited for the notarized “pink” wedding books, and then set off in search of a reasonable priced hotel.

“What is 7-7?” you wonder. What is Chinese Valentines Day? I’m glad you asked. Allow me to share…

Please note: There are many variations of this tale. I have combined some elements to make it comprehensible.

Once upon a time, there was a cowherder, named Nuilang (translated: Cowherder). He was a handsome orphaned lad that worked hard as a farmer. One day he spotted seven fairy sisters skinny-dipping in a lake. On the urgings of his mischievous ox, he stole their clothes and sat back to watch the show that would inevitably follow. The sisters selected the youngest and most beautiful among them, the seventh sister, Zhinu (translated: weaver girl), to retrieve their fairy garments.

Aside: The ox was an immortal from heaven, sent to earth in the form of an ox as punishment for his misdeeds in the heavenly realm.

Zhinu retrieved the clothing for her siblings and had Nuilang agree to marry her, as he has seen her unclothed.* The couple got along well, him a dutiful husband, and she a wonderful wife. They fell very much in love and had two children.

Zhinu’s mother, the Empress of Heaven, heard her daughter, the weaver of colorful clouds, had married a mortal. She was furious, as mothers sometimes are about what they perceive to be bad marriages.

She snatched Zhinu from earth and placed her back the heavens to resume her weaving. Niulang packed the kids in wicker baskets, and using the magically hide of his now dead, and formerly god-like ox, and gave chase. The Empress, using her hairpin, tore a river across the night sky (the milky way), separating the lovers forever.

Zhinu lives on the star Vega, and Nuilang on the other side of the night sky, lives on Altair, flanked by their children on the stars β and γ Aquilae.

In time, the Empress of Heaven was touched by their great love and took pity upon the couple. Once a year, the seventh night of the seventh month, she allowed all the world’s magpies to fly into the heavens. They formed a bridge over the river and allowed the lovers to reunite.

Qi Xi is also called The Festival to Plead for Skills (qǐ qiǎo jié), The Seventh Sister’s Birthday (qī jiě dàn), and The Night of Skills (qiǎo xī).

The Night of Sevens, Chinese Valentines Day, is celebrated by:

On Qi Xi, a festoon is placed in the yard and the single or newly married women in the household make an offering to Niulang and Zhinü consisting of fruit, flowers, tea, and facial powder (makeup). After finishing the offering, half of the facial powder is thrown on the roof and the other half divided among the young women. It is believed by doing this the women are bound in beauty with Zhinü.

Another tradition is for young girls to throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qi Xi, Chinese Valentines Day, as a test of embroidery skills. If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it is believed to be an indication of the girl’s being a skilled embroideress.
Source: answers.com

Today, Chinese Valentines Day is one of matchmaking by parents and at speed dating parties. Astronomically, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month the milky way appears dimmer, supporting the idea of a bridge between the two stars.

Happy Qi Xi, Mrs. Stevo, happy anniversary (again).

* Mrs. Stevo tells me in traditional China that if a boy saw a girl’s naked feet (Mrs. Stevo’s term) they had to wed. I asked if desperate girls attempted this as a way of coercing men into marriage. She would not dignify my question with an answer.

Flag waving in Tiananmen Square during the 2006 National Day celebrations. Photo by: People's Daily Online.

China turns 60 years old on October 1.

National Day will see China the nation celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It’s a week-long holiday, the last of the year, with parades, gala television specials, and flags-a-waving.

Guóqìngjié (guo: country, qing: celebration, jie: day) or National Day turns Chinese cities and towns into a sea of red and yellow flags. Like the Spring Festival holiday (Chinese New Year) many people use the time off to travel home. My town will likely see 10 of the 12 million residents fly, bus, and train their way back to Hunan, Guangxi, Hubei, and Sichuan provinces. Like North America, businesses will offer sales ‘o plenty. Department and electronics store will offer deals like their western counterparts.

China fought a 23 year civil war, much of it while trying to repel Japanese invaders during the second world war. The Kuomintang (KMT) and Communists forces battled across the nation in a conflict that left millions dead. After the Japanese surrender, the People’s Liberation Army was able to turn the tide against the nationalists, and push the remaining KMT forces into south China.

Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 in Beijing. The KMT forces retreated to Taiwan, continuing the Republic of China and claiming the entire nation, in exile. There was no clear-cut resolution; no armistice has ever been signed in the conflict. Tensions have (and still do) flare over the issue. One KMT division, based in Burma (Myanmar) continued with a guerrilla campaign that lasted into the 1960s. (The Division eventually settled in northern Thailand. There is a Thai village, full of Chinese houses. The residents speak Yunanese, a Chinese dialect.)

China’s National Day, Guóqìngjié, celebrates the re-birth of a nation.

Happy 60th Birthday China. Guóqìngjié kuai le.

June 1 is International Children’s Day, a calendar day widely celebrated in China. I don’t remember this holiday from my days as a child (although some would argue that I still indeed am a very big child.)

At my school it meant a day off for the little nippers, a day off without leaving the campus. Teachers gave gifts, and children ate voluminous amounts of junk food. Yes, children in China enjoy cookies and cakes, but spicy dried fish and chicken feet are also contenders for the top junk food spot.

These are my kids, a few of my faves to celebrate Children’s Day. Thanks to Expatriate Games for the inspiration.

Yay! It’s a long weekend in China. Monday is Qing Ming Jie, or, Tomb Sweeping Day. On this day people pay respect to their ancestors by cleaning tombs and making offerings of food, liquor, and ghost money. Qing Ming has been a holiday in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for years. It wasn’t until 2008 that China made it a national holiday (it was celebrated before this, but not recognized).

My move went reasonably well. The movers decided to carry my desk upside-down, and it broke apart. The fight that ensued between the woman from my department overseeing the move and the movers, was interesting. She blamed them, they blamed the desk. In the end the school repairman put it back together with L brackets and chewing gum. After it was placed in my bedroom he told me to never move it. Great.

Given their lack of coordination, I didn’t allow the movers to touch my computers. I did that, making two trips, half-a-mile each, carrying a monitor and CPU each time. And I went to gym later in the day. Computers, like sheets and blankets, are much heavier than you would think. Buff, The Stevo will be buff!

I’m working on my laptop. Trying to wire three bedrooms for the internet is a perplexing problem. I don’t want wires running all over the apartment. Wireless will do for now. I see a large purchase of ethernet cable in my future…

I’m off to Hong Kong today. WordPress is holding one of their famous WordCamps in the former British colony. I’m meeting up with one of Shenzhen’s other expat bloggers, meeting WordPress president Matt Mullenweg, and hopefully getting some free stuff. Like I need more stuff, my life is now a collection of boxes full of stuff.

The photo above is of the Crystal Bridge in lovely Guilin, China. I’m somewhat limited, photo-wise, at the moment. I have no network and access to my images. I didn’t want to deprive those that come here for the photos, not my bad prose.

To one and all: Have a great weekend!

Christmas may be shopping craziness in North America, but Chinese New Year is a festival that lasts for 14 days – imagine the shopping that goes into that?

Forget the shopping, imagine the promotion. Companies, big and small, tout their wares as everyone gets ready for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

I was handed a Chinese New Year advertising flyer as I walked home from the gym last week. It made for some interesting reading – allow me to share.

From the top of the flyer. I don’t know if the words cheap and pharmacy should be used in ad copy, or even in the same sentence. Probably a bad translation.

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Oh, good. Twelve centimeter flattened, dried lizards are on sale. There are probably medicinal benefits to the little creature. I’m not well-versed enough in CTM (Chinese Traditional Medicine) to know how they affect your Chi. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with alternative medicine.

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Yum! Dried Seahorses, what every Chinese New Year party needs, with a little ranch dip on the side. Better than beef jerky.

Okay, I jest. Again, seahorses are used in CTM (Chinese Traditional Medicine). These I have taken, and again I don’t know the real purpose. The doctor created a special brew of roots, nuts, and seahorses, to cure my asthma. I was skeptical. After choking down the foul mixture for two weeks my asthma was gone. My skepticism, too, was gone.
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This is the sort of post that would cause me to label another China blogger a “douche bag” for his cultural insensitivity. In my defense, I have tried the seahorses, and a number of other “healthy” foods (frog uterus) during my tenure in China. This post is not meant to mock, but to point out the incredible differences in culture. Could you imagine a North American pharmacy having dried seahorses on sale? I won’t speculate on the effects of dog meat in the supermarket’s deli counter.

Advertising is the same all over. Companies, be they American, Chinese, or Bulgarian, flog their products around the holidays. The products are dictated by the local culture. What fun would the world be if we were all the same? Where would the adventure be? And what would travel bloggers blog about?

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Canada Post's Year of the Ox Stamp

The Chinese New Year (春节 – Chunjie) will soon be upon us. January 26 will see the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival as it is called in China. 2009 will be the Year of the Ox. The Year of the Rat will end, and not appear again until 2020..

Imagine every western holiday rolled into a week-long semi-hedonistic party. That’s Chinese New Year. Unlike the one day December 31st – January 1st western celebration, the Chinese New Year is traditionally a 14 day celebration. Mainland China has a “Golden Week” holiday, most of the country will be off work for the first week of the festival.

Most of the population of China will travel back to their hometowns and villages to celebrate the holiday. Chunyun (春運 or 春运 or the Spring Festival Travel period), features the world’s largest human migration. Over 2 billion people, Chinese and overseas Chinese, will travel during the forty day period surrounding Chinese New Year. Train, bus, and planes tickets are hard to come by. Standing room seats are sold on trains. My first Spring Festival in China saw me sitting on the floor of a train carriage for six hours until a seat opened up. Yes, uncomfortable, but strangely fun.

It’s not a simple holiday (nothing in China is simple). The preparations are intense, and each day of the festival different tasks must be undertaken. Fireworks, intense cleaning, new clothes, red greetings, lucky money, and special foods all make for extreme prep work

It’s the holiday of holidays. As western children dream of Santa and Christmas, Chinese kids dream of Spring Festival. It’s a staple of conversation for weeks before the event.

Over the coming weeks Asian Ramblings will bring you a blow-by-blow explanation of the holiday: The genesis, the customs, and the culinary delights. Stay tuned. Learn all you need to know about Chinese New Year. Amaze your friends with your profound cultural knowledge.

Xin Nian Kuia Le, or Happy New Year, as they say.

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