March 3rd is a traditional festival for many ethnic minorities. There are many customs and habits during this festival, all aimed at celebrating the arrival of March 3rd. It's once again springtime, the season when flowers bloom and willows turn green. All things revive, presenting a beautiful scene of blooming flowers and green willows, giving people a sense of hope. Want to know more about the third month of the lunar calendar? Follow the special feature on Huayi Network March 2022 Lunar Calendar.

What are the customs of the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd?

1. Worshiping Gao Mei: The most important activity in the March 3rd activities is worshiping Gao Mei, the god of marriage and childbirth. Therefore, March 3rd is also a day for courtship and childbearing.
2. Bathing by the River: "Panhù" refers to bathing. In ancient times, people would go to the riverside or the edge of the water to bathe on March 3rd. They believed that washing with spring water could remove the diseases accumulated over the winter, keeping them clean and immune in the new year. Over time, bathing became an important part of March 3rd.
3. Going to the Song Fair: When the Zhuang people celebrate March 3rd, they usually go to the Song Fair, set up song pavilions, and hold song festivals. Young men and women sing songs, play egg-picking games, and throw embroidered balls. According to legend, March 3rd was formed as a day to commemorate Liu Sanjie, the fairy of songs of the Zhuang people, so it is also called the Song Fairy Festival.
4. Drifting Wine Cups in a Curved Stream: "Qu Shui Liu Shang" is a custom of the Shangsi Festival. It involves digging a small stream in the courtyard, then having servants float wine cups on the surface of the stream. When a cup floats to someone's side, that person has to compose a poem. If they cannot, they have to drink.
5. Outing in the Wild: The Shangsi Festival is a free and joyful spring outing festival. Young men and women go out into the wild to enjoy the scenery, play with water, and freely choose their partners. Therefore, the Shangsi Festival is considered the true Valentine's Day, with peonies symbolizing love.
6. Eating Eggs Boiled with Shepherd's Purse: On the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, people in China have the custom of eating eggs boiled with shepherd's purse. Shepherd's purse, also known as field vegetable or field vegetable, is a fresh and delicious wild vegetable rich in nutrition, growing in the corners of fields.

Which ethnic group's traditional festival is it?

The third day of the third month of the lunar calendar is the Shangsi Festival and the Daughter's Festival in China. It is also the traditional festival of multiple ethnic groups such as the Zhuang, Han, and Tujia. China has long had the saying: "February 2nd, the dragon raises its head; March 3rd, the birth of the Yellow Emperor." According to legend, March 3rd is the birthday of the Yellow Emperor. The ancients called this day the Shangsi Festival. After the Wei and Jin dynasties, people held activities such as drinking by the river and spring outings in the suburbs on March 3rd. In modern times, every March 3rd, the Zhuang people hold song festivals, eat five-color glutinous rice, and other activities. For the Han people, in addition to worshiping, there were later various folk customs such as men and women meeting, planting willows, and appreciating flowers. For the Tujia people, March 3rd is their Valentine's Day. On this day, Tujia brothers and sisters gather together, using mountain songs as a medium and stepping on feet to determine marriage. "March 3rd" has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage and has brought the culture of the Zhuang people in Guangxi and other ethnic groups to the international stage, allowing people around the world to better understand the culture of the Zhuang people in Guangxi.