Lantern Festival and Valentine's Day fall on the same day of February 14 this year, and it has forced many men to worry about either spending the day with their family or with their girlfriend.

In fact, Lantern Festival was once a day for lovers in ancient times, more so than Qixi, July 7 on the Chinese lunar calendar. On the day of Lantern Festival in ancient times, girls were allowed to leave their home only on this day – January 15 on Chinese lunar calendar – to see lanterns, make friends with young men and date their boyfriends.

Qixi, the day now regarded as Chinese Valentine's Day in recent years, is actually a girls' festival. According to tradition, girls prayed to god for being clever and deft. It is no longer just a day to memorialize the love between Niulang and Zhinu, characters from a love story in which Niulang was only allowed to see his wife Zhinu once a year on July 7. It is also a day to admire the intelligence and deftness of Zhinu.

Therefore, Lantern Festival should be a lover's festival. However, in recent years, the festival has remained a family day. As most people choose to stay with their family, gifts for your significant other are necessary.

Chinese lovers engage in the tradition of gift giving to seal their love. A thousand of years ago, young people in China were not allowed to choose their partner – they had to obey their parents' orders. However, there was always someone secretly falling in love with someone else, so they exchanged gifts to seal their love, and men would go home and try to persuade their parents that they had found their true love.

As time passed, people were free to choose their loved ones, but the tradition of exchanging love-sealing gifts has remained a tradition. Gifts also change with times.

Ancient love-sealing gifts

1 Love knot

The knitting ornament is in sthe hape of two hearts leaning closely on one another. The name of the knot in Chinese has the meaning of "tying the knot." In the past, girls would make love knots by hand and give them to their lovers. Men were expected to carry the knot with them all times.

[Photo/icpress]

Much ado over lanterns and love

Lantern Festival and Valentine's Day