The third month of the lunar calendar is a time when grass grows and birds fly, and it is during this period that we welcome China's traditional festival, the Shangsi Festival. So, is the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd considered China's Valentine's Day? What are the explanations? Huayi Network brings you the latest content. The lunar third month is the last month of spring and also a season full of vitality. If you want to learn more about March 2019 in the lunar calendar, please pay attention to our Huayi Fortune Telling Network!

Is the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd China's Valentine's Day? What are the explanations?

According to historical records, the Shangsi Festival was the earliest Chinese Valentine's Day, over 1,000 years earlier than the Qixi Festival;
The Shangsi Festival, also known as March 3rd, was originally a day to commemorate the Yellow Emperor, with the legend that the Yellow Emperor's birthday fell on this day. However, later on, this day became a day for young men and women to go out for a picnic. According to the Zhou Dynasty regulations, unmarried girls had only a few days of freedom throughout the year. For example, they could go out to view lantern displays during the Lantern Festival, and go on a spring outing on March 3rd. Therefore, March 3rd became an officially recognized day for couples to meet.
The "Book of Songs" (Shijing) in the Zheng section has records about the Shangsi Festival: "Red men and green women wear fragrant herbs, two people fall in love and give each other peonies." Many people believe that the Shangsi Festival in Zheng State is the earliest Valentine's Day in China. However, as the Shangsi Festival declined, such ancient customs have disappeared.
On this day, from the emperor down to commoners, all would set aside their work, take a bath, and wear new clothes to worship ancestors. After that, men and women could go out together for fun. Thus, on this day, young men and women could openly arrange to meet their companions, and even women could ignore the constraints of etiquette to meet the men they liked. This is indeed China's Valentine's Day, and the Shangsi Festival predates the Qixi Festival by over 1,000 years.

The origin of the Shangsi Festival

The Shangsi Festival on the first upper day of the third lunar month is a traditional folk festival in ancient China. It was one of the most popular festivals in ancient China, especially before the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The name "Shangsi" was used in ancient times, but after the Wei and Jin dynasties, it was fixed as March 3rd.
Why was the third-month Shangsi day set as a festival in ancient times, there is no clear written record. According to the meaning of the character "Si", which means the peak of yang energy, about to return, probably taking advantage of the strong yang energy to wash away old impurities by the water.
The biggest feature of the Shangsi Festival is its connection with water. According to historical records, during the Zhou Dynasty, there was a religious activity called "Fuxi" on the Shangsi Festival in the third month. "Fuxi" refers to removing illness and making oneself clean; "xi" refers to cleaning the body. Fuxi was a ritual activity through washing the body to remove disasters and pray for blessings. In the Zhou Dynasty, there were female shamans who were in charge of this matter.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was already a custom of holding a soul-summoning and disaster-removing ceremony on the day of the fourth or fifth week in March. By the Han Dynasty, the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd was confirmed as a holiday.