Tanabata Jiewu experts, the original is not traditional Chinese Valentine's Day

BEIJING, Hangzhou, August 2 (Reporter Xu Yuejing intern Wu Yuchen) August 2, once again an annual Tanabata festival, Tanabata has become a well-known Chinese Valentine's Day, the touching story of the Cowher The couple, merchants take this vigorously promote goods.

However, today's Tanabata Valentine's Day really is the Chinese traditional Tanabata Festival? With this question, reporters interviewed Huang Tao, standing director of China Folklore Society and deputy secretary-general. In his view, this is a beautiful "misunderstanding."

Misunderstood a: Cowherd and Weaving Tanabata

In the eyes of today's people, Tanabata and Vega weaving girls are inextricably linked. The Tanabata Festival has become magical and romantic because of the story of the meeting between the Cowboy and the Magpie Bridge.

However, according to Huang Tao's study, in fact, before the Han Dynasty, the story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl had nothing to do with the Tanabata Festival. The legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl existed as early as during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. However, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, In July July there are books and clothes and other customs exposed, is the festival of summer farming, but no cattle meet women, begging Qiao and other customs. There was no correlation between the two at the time.

It was not until the Western Jin Dynasty that the Cowherd and the Weaver became acquainted with each other on July 7 at the Magpie Bridge. From then on, July 7 became an overjoyed day. The magpie bridged over the Milky Way and the beloved men and women finally met one year later.

Does that mean that Tanabata is the traditional Chinese Valentine's Day from the Western Jin Dynasty?

But in fact, it's not. Huang Tao told reporters because of the feudal Confucian orthodox culture emphasizes the defense of men and women, try to cut off the marriage of men and women outside. In such a depressing and repulsive cultural model, there will not be a die-like Valentine's Day. Due to the suppression of the theme of love by the feudal culture, the practice of Tanabata is mainly begging for begging and begging for cleverness, and the activity of love expression only occupies a secondary position .

In the traditional Qixi Qi Qiao custom, begging Qiao can be understood as a woman begging for wisdom to the weaver, in essence, begging for good fortune and Takako, Qi Qiao's main way is through the stars under the lead.

Although the Tanabata is not a traditional Chinese Valentine's Day, as the festivals with ancient Valentine's Day festivals in the previous or the third of March have faded away, only the Tanabata still has the vitality of inheritance in modern society. Coupled with the romance and love legend, Tanabata Qi Qiao begger Qiao transformed into the theme of love is ripe.

Misunderstanding 2: business promotion gimmick

Today's Tanabata, has become a national celebration of Chinese Valentine's Day, and the West on February 14 Valentine's Day complement each other. Businesses are resorting to Tanabata gimmick hit a variety of promotional activities. In such circumstances, Tanabata erosion will be commercial factors and the loss of the pursuit of love it?

Wang Ping, an associate researcher at Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the evolution of the Star Festival from the traditional Qi Qiao Festival to today's Chinese Valentine's Day has both the promotion of commercial factors and the reaction of local cultures to foreign cultures.

Wang Ping believes that the commercial factors on the impact of traditional festivals should be separated. On the one hand, the promotion of businesses makes the festive atmosphere more rich. On the other hand, because of the autonomy of culture itself, over-commercialization may cause people's enthusiasm for the festival to decline and may even be replaced by other festivals.

He said that the impact of business factors on the festival can not be blindly criticized. Since ancient temple festivals often start during the festival, this is actually an ancient commercial promotion, but today they are magnified by the mass media. "Commercial factors and the promotion of cultural autonomy and many other reasons for the integration, there is now a love Tanabata Festival." (End)