The Origin of the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd
The Shangsi Festival originated from the magical activities of using orchid soup to ward off evil spirits. In these activities, orchid plants were used as sacred objects. Orchids have a fragrant characteristic, and ancient people needed to fast before major rituals of worshiping deities, which included using the best bathing method at that time - orchid soup bathing. The difference between orchid soup bathing and purification by the river lies in that orchid soup bathing was a personal activity, usually done indoors and could be performed anytime, while purification by the river was a collective activity, held by the riverside and at specific times.Another view suggests that the Shangsi Festival originated from the primitive people's fertility worship activities. For example, Tao Siyan pointed out that the purification by the river was originally a behavior where men and women met joyfully in spring, and women prayed for pregnancy. Carrying orchids or aromatic herbs for bathing was also a way to stimulate desire. Water is a mysterious substance that can bring life, and women coming to the riverside not only wanted to wash away the dirt of winter but also hoped to become pregnant by touching the water. This kind of fertility belief related to primitive religion is the real reason behind the custom of purification by the river on the third day of the third month.
What are other names for the Shangsi Festival?
The Shangsi Festival is also known as March 3rd, Spring Bathing Day, Chinese Valentine's Day, and Daughter's Day.The history of the Shangsi Festival dates back a long time. In the early times, the Shangsi Festival had already become an important festival for people to hold "purification and bathing" activities. Every year, when the weather became warm and bright, people would gather by the riverside to perform rituals, wash away dirt, and eliminate misfortune, which was called "purification by the river" or "Spring Bathing Day". Due to China's vast territory, there is a big difference in latitude between the north and south. In the Yellow River basin, the latitude is relatively high, and March is still a cold season with "a light chill in the late shadow, the arrival of the courtyard mourns the deep spring." Therefore, the customs of going to the river were not suitable for northern regions. As a result, during the Jin Dynasty, the custom of splashing water by the river was changed by northern scholars into "drinking by the flowing stream".
