When it comes to Qixi, the first thing that comes to people's mind is the meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver maid. Literary drama plays up the tragic love of this legend, making people take it for granted that Qixi festival is China's Valentine's Day. They blur the cultural connotation of Qixi. So what did ancient men and women do on this day when they were not in love?

The ancient worship of Zhinu dates back to the Xia Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty. But at that time, The Cowherd did not appear, and naturally there was no love story between them. In the book, the goddess Zhi Nu refers to the bright and radiant vega that emanates at dusk in July, which was used by ancient people to mark the arrival of July.

Altair first appeared in the Book of Songs. It is second only to Vega in brightness and is located in the southeast of the planet. Although it is not far away, there is a water between the two stars. The wonderful astrological relationship between the Altair and the vega was passed from mouth to mouth among the people, and finally evolved into figurative characters, forming the love legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver girl. The ancients regarded the bright stars as incarnations of celestial beings who lived in heaven and endowed them with the attributes of gods. Vega is the symbol of July, and July is the season when women begin to weave.

The plain people believed that the hard work of weaving would be blessed by the Goddess Zhi Nu, and they would gain the power to work by looking up at the shining Star Zhi Nu. In ancient feudal society, every woman longed to be a good wife and a good mother, and to live a stable life of taking care of her husband and children. Needlework was an essential skill for women in ancient times, and the needlework even became an important condition for measuring women's value and getting a good marriage. Therefore, on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year, women gather together in the courtyard to worship Vega and pray for their ingenuity.

In addition to the supplication, some people prepared food and drink, worship the two stars of Petunia and Zhinv, and pray for their husbands' high school, wealth and the couple's birth of a son. No matter what kind of "Qiao" you beg for, behind the custom lies the ancient woman's expectation of a happy and happy family.