Which Chinese festival is often called Chinese Valentine's Day?

Which Chinese festival is often called Chinese Valentine’s Day? The answer is the Qixi Festival.

Qixi is a traditional Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of Zhinü, the Weaver Girl, and Niulang, the Cowherd. Their romance is represented in the sky by Vega and Altair, separated by the Milky Way and reunited once a year across a bridge formed by magpies.

The festival’s name means “Evening of Sevens,” and it is also called the Double Seventh Festival, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival. Its romantic association makes “Chinese Valentine’s Day” a useful modern description, although Qixi has older connections to prayers for skill, especially weaving and needlework.

Qixi should not be confused with the Lantern Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival. It also influenced related celebrations such as Japan’s Tanabata, Korea’s Chilseok, and Vietnam’s Thất Tịch.