Culture > Folk Art
Qixi Gong'an
2019-01-16 17:05     Source : Dongguan Today

"Qixi Gong'an" is the offering during the Qiqiao Festival (on te seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year). It is also the centerpiece for showcasing artisans' craftsmanship. In the evening of the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, girls gather in the village temple or at home to handcraft "Qixi Gong'an" to pray for love and happiness.
 
There was a long history for this custom dating back to the Five Kingdoms between 907 – 960 AD.. Folk culture expert Deng Erya wrote about the festival, "As girls compete with each other in craftsmanship, the ancient customs continue to stay alive. The festivities begin on the sixth day of lunar calendar and customs from the Five Kingdoms can still be found here in the South." There was also a note stating, "Celebrations beginning on the sixth is a Five Kingdoms custom, and all officials need to attend the Qiqiao Festival." To revive this ancient festival, in 2004 and 2006, the Wangniudun held two large scale festivals, creating 21 and 23 Gong'ans in the plaza-square and attracting tens of thousands of citizens, making "Qixi Gong'an" well-known in the area again.

Editor: 王敏瑶