Double Third Festival folk traditions in Zhejiang
Today is the ancient Chinese Shangsi Festival, which falls on the third day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
The celebration, often called the Double Third Festival, is said to be a commemoration of the birthday of Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), a legendary Chinese ruler 4,500 years ago, who is considered to be the ancestor of all Chinese people along with Yan Emperor (Yandi).
Legend says it was a tradition to bathe in the river on the day of celebration to eliminate not only dirt but also bad luck and evil spirits. Gradually it grew into an occasion for spring outings and gatherings by the river.
One of
the
earliest recorded, and most well known, Shangsi Festival gatherings were initiated by Wang Xizhi, the outstanding Eastern Jin (AD 317-420) calligrapher, in the year of AD 353.
Cups of wine were set to drift down the upstream, and whenever a cup stopped in front of an invited guest, he had to compose a poem or drink the wine. However these traditions have been abandoned and forgotten in most parts of China. Only people in remote areas and some ethic minority groups still celebrate the day by its different means.
Shanghai Daily took a look at some of the beautiful towns and villages in Zhejiang Province to see how people celebrate Shangsi Festival and continue with worship ceremonies, singing and temple fairs.