THE Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine’s Day, saw a variety of celebrations at theme parks, clubs and other public venues in Shenzhen yesterday.
Window of the World offered a pair of tickets for 50 yuan (US$7.32) for a night visit, and the Qixi Museum, a temporary attraction in the theme park, attracted young lovers who wanted to explore the legend and moving story of the Weaver Maid and Cowherd — the basis for the festival.
According to legend, a beloved couple, the cowherd and weaver, are allowed to meet only once a year in heaven on this day.
In the square of Diwang Mansion, a match-making party drew many single people looking to find someone to love.
The festival also pushed up flower prices in the city. “When the festival comes, a bouquet of roses that normally costs 90 yuan shoots up to 150 yuan,” said Xu, the owner of a flower shop in Futian District.
Also known as the Magpie Festival, the day lands on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar. It is a traditional festival full of romance, passing down the love story of the Cowherd and Weaver Maid from generation to generation.
Li Hao