In contemporary times, members of Peng Chau’s Immortal Sisters Association assemble annually at the Seventh Sister Temple to partake in festivities honoring her birthday. Devotees bring forth various offerings including fruits, buns shaped like longevity peaches, skincare products, and makeup items on the evening preceding the seventh day of this lunar month. They burn incense as a gesture of reverence towards the Seventh Sister while also engaging in divination by casting blocks before her statue with hopes of receiving auspicious blessings.

The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival
七姐誕

The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival| Date
The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival|Historical evolution
The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival| Events

The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival| Date

The 7^thday of the seventh lunar month

The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival| Historical evolution

Seventh Sister originated from the folk legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl meeting on the night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (known as Qixi Festival) at Magpie Bridge. Weaver Girl is ranked seventh among the seven fairy sisters, hence she is also called Seventh Sister. Worshiping Seventh Sister mainly seeks for marriage fate and exquisite craftsmanship. The birthday of Seventh Sister is also known as “Qixi”（Chinese Valentine’s Day） or “Qi Qiao Festival”.

In Hong Kong, traditional “Seventh Sister’s Birthday” starts on the evening of the sixth day of the seventh lunar month and lasts for one to two nights for celebration rituals. Female devotees hope to acquire superb needlework skills and a good marriage fate by worshiping Seventh Sister. The offerings for praying to Seventh Sister are quite particular, including incense, candles, fruits, as well as items such as a basin for Seventh Sister, clothes for Seventh Sister, colorful garments, rouge powder.

Unmarried women in the past would set up an altar at home or in open spaces on streets or alleys to display their offerings on an Eight Immortals table and worship Cowherd and Weaver Girl when it was auspicious time; they would also showcase self-made crafts like embroidered shoes, purses, window decorations to share with friends and family members while exchanging embroidery techniques. Nowadays, modern women no longer specialize in handicrafts and have freedom in love relationships; thus celebrating Seventh Sister’s Birthday is not as prevalent as before.

Ping Chau Fairy Temple built in 1954 celebrates Seventh Sisters’ Birthday every year; it is currently one of Hong Kong’s larger-scale celebrations of this festival. On the night of the sixth day of the seventh lunar month each year, many female villagers bring their daughters to pay respects at Fairy Temple.

The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival| Events

The Seven Sisters’ Birth celebration begins on the sixth day of the lunar month. The Ping Chau Sin Jie Temple in 2010 had offerings, decorations, and worshippers paying their respects to the Seven Sisters. Worshippers also burn incense at various altars and temples. They can take sacred objects home if granted permission by deities, otherwise they choose other objects. The ceremony ends with the burning of Seven Sisters’ clothes.