00716nas a2200133   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002100001600043245008000059300001200139490000700151520041000158022001400568                                       d1 aHuijie Zhao00aThe Contemporary Practice of the Double Seventh Festival in Northwest China  a253-2740 v813 aThe Double Seventh Festival, which has a long history, is now seen as a national intangible cultural heritage in China. Drawing on fieldwork, this essay discusses the continuity of this tradition and its adaption to cultural elements of Valentine s Day. It shows the essence of this festival as a ritual for girls to learn to become women and for married women to learn to maintain harmony in family life.  a0043-373X