This festival, 中元节 Zhōng Yuán Jié, is in fact just one day in a whole month where the gates of Hell are open and the dead walk among us… Man dressed as a Chinese zombie, one of the ghosts thought to roam the earth at this time of year. Similar to the previous solar term, people would also make offerings to the gods to give thanks for or pray for a good harvest. At this time old Beijingers would eat duck (there’s even a dish called 处暑百合鸭 Chùshǔ bǎihé yā) as it was believed that ducks were at their fattest and most nutritious at the end of the summer. The fourteenth solar term, the Limit of Heat, 处暑(Chùshǔ) means the hot season is coming to an end. Beijing Roast Duck Solar Term: Limit of Heat (August 23rd) The earliest recorded version of this legend is from the Book of Songs, a collection of poetry from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. Seeing that their love was sincere, however, she permitted them to meet once a year on the Qixi Festival. When Niuliang chased after her, the Queen Mother blocked him using the Milky Way. When the King found out he was furious, and forced Zhinü to return to heaven. The basic story is that Niulang, a poor cowheard, fell in love with Zhinü, a skilled weaver, who also happened to be the daughter of the King of Heaven. Qixi has its origins in a legend, of which there are many variations. Although it’s not an official holiday, it is becoming more and more popular, and young people celebrate today in similar ways to Valentine’s Day – giving gifts and spending time with loved ones. Move over February 14th – China has a much older Valentine’s Day, celebrated this year on August 4th! This festival is called Qixi (七夕 Qīxì), which means ‘double seven’ because it falls on the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. Folk customs at this time include giving thanks for the harvest, eating watermelon to cool the body, and checking to see if you lost weight over the summer – if you did, time to start putting it back on in preparation for the winter! Magpies are a symbol of Qixi as in the legend, magpies formed a bridge for the two lovers to meet at Qixi Qixi Festival (August 22nd) The Beginning of Autumn (立秋 Lìqiū) isn’t really the beginning of autumn, and the weather remains extremely hot, but at this time the ‘yang’ energy of summer starts to change almost imperceptibly into the ‘yin’ energy of autumn and winter. Solar Term: Beginning of Autumn (August 8th) There’s both love and ghosts in the air this month with two major traditional festivals and two solar terms on the Chinese calendar!
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