Shangsi Festival

Overview

The Shangsi Festival, also known as the "Third Month Third Festival" or "Sang-sa" in some regions, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month. This ancient festival has evolved over thousands of years, originating from water purification rituals and gradually transforming into various cultural celebrations across different ethnic groups in China. The festival encompasses a rich tapestry of customs including water purification rituals, spring outings, poetic gatherings, and courtship activities, reflecting both spiritual beliefs and social practices throughout Chinese history.

History

Origins

The origins of the Shangsi Festival are primarily traced to the ancient practice of water purification rituals (fú xì). The earliest record of this festival appears in the Analects of Confucius (Lunyu), where it describes people bathing in the Yi River and enjoying the spring breeze during the暮春 (late spring) period. This indicates that the water purification custom was already established during the pre-Qin period.

Another theory suggests that the festival originated from witchcraft activities involving orchid water (lan tang) for exorcism. In this practice, orchids were used as spiritual objects due to their fragrant aroma, and special purification baths were prepared before important ceremonies. The distinction between personal orchid baths (typically conducted indoors) and communal purification rituals (held by riverbanks) was significant in the early development of this tradition.

Some scholars believe the festival may have originated from primitive reproductive worship activities. According to Tao Siyan, the purification rituals were originally practices where men and women courted in spring, and women prayed for pregnancy. The act of holding orchids or aromatic herbs during bathing was believed to stimulate desire, and women approaching water hoped to become pregnant through contact with this mystical substance.

Yet another theory connects the festival to the commemoration of the Yellow Emperor (Xuan Yuan), with the saying "Er yue er, long tai tou; San yue san, sheng Xuan Yuan" ("On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises his head; on the third day of the third month, Xuan Yuan is born").

Prosperity

During the pre-Qin and Western Han dynasties, purification ceremonies were prevalent but not uniformly dated across regions. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, the custom of purification on the third day of the third lunar month gradually became established, as evidenced by numerous literary works such as Zhang Heng's "Ode to the Southern Capital" and Zheng Xuan's annotations on the Rites of Zhou.

As the water purification custom became more widespread, the Shangsi Festival evolved into an occasion for the social elite to banquet guests and celebrate by the waterways. During the Wei-Jin and Northern-Southern Dynasties period, the festival transformed from a ritualistic ceremony for dispelling evil spirits into a folk festival featuring "qu shui liu shang" (floating wine cups along a winding stream) and various recreational activities. The date also became fixed to the third day of the third lunar month rather than varying with the "si" day.

The festival reached its zenith of prosperity during the Tang Dynasty. The imperial court's emphasis on the festival is reflected in historical accounts of emperors hosting banquets for officials by the Qujiang River. The "Tang Nian Xia Sui Ji" records: "On the third day of the third lunar month, the emperor bestows banquets upon officials at Qujiang, where people from the capital gather at the riverbank for purification drinking and spring outings." From high officials to common people, all participated in these activities, which gradually evolved into elaborate entertainment events.

Decline

During the late Tang Dynasty, political turmoil and frequent wars led to the decline of Qujiang banquets, and the festival lost imperial support and a stable social environment. With the rise of Neo-Confucianism during the Song Dynasty, the festival gradually faded due to changing cultural values. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as people's understanding of sacrificial and purification rituals deepened, the customs of the Shangsi Festival no longer met the needs of contemporary society, causing it to gradually disappear from public view.

Modern Status

After the Song Dynasty, the Shangsi Festival merged with the Qingming and Hanshi (Cold Food) Festivals, eventually fading from mainstream Chinese culture. However, many customs of the Shangsi Festival have been preserved and continued among ethnic minorities in southern China. The Zhuang, Dong, Gelao, Bai, Yi, Li, She, and Bouyei peoples, among others, still celebrate "March Third" with diverse and colorful festivities.

The "Li March Third" is a propitious festival for the Li people of Hainan, featuring ancestor worship, blessings for newborns, and celebrations of love. The "Zhuang March Third," known as the "Song Jie" (Song Fair), is an important occasion for courtship and social activities where people "express feelings through mountain songs and pass love through embroidered balls." The "She March Third" commemorates important heroes of the She people's ancestors and serves as a grand festival praying for happiness and well-being.

Key Information

Cultural Significance

The Shangsi Festival holds profound cultural significance in Chinese tradition, representing the transition from ritualistic practices to social celebrations. Initially a festival for dispelling evil spirits and praying for good fortune, it gradually evolved into a celebration of spring, nature, and human relationships.

One of the festival's most significant aspects is its role as a "Chinese Valentine's Day." Historical records, particularly in the Book of Songs, document young men and women meeting by the waterways on this day, exchanging flowers and expressing affection. This tradition predates Western Valentine's Day by over a thousand years and represents an important aspect of ancient Chinese courtship culture.

The festival also reflects the Chinese philosophical concept of harmony between humans and nature. The practice of water purification and spring outings embodies the ancient belief in cleansing both body and spirit as seasons change, while the enjoyment of natural beauty represents the aesthetic appreciation of springtime.

Modern Status

Today, while the Shangsi Festival is no longer widely celebrated among the Han Chinese majority, it has been preserved and revitalized among various ethnic minorities in southern China. Many "March Third" celebrations have been recognized as intangible cultural heritage, receiving government support and protection.

In recent years, local governments have organized various cultural activities to promote and preserve these traditions. For example, in Wangmo County, Guizhou Province, the "March Third" Bouyei Cultural Festival has been held annually since 2009, becoming a local cultural brand. In 2014, the "Zhuang March Third" was designated as a legal traditional festival in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with a public holiday established for its celebration.

The modern celebrations often incorporate both traditional elements and contemporary expressions, creating a dynamic cultural space where ancient customs continue to evolve while maintaining their core cultural significance.

Festival Customs

Water Purification (Fuxi)

The water purification ritual was a central activity of the Shangsi Festival. Conducted on the third day of the third lunar month during the transition of seasons, people believed that purification with aromatic herbs could prevent illness and dispel evil spirits. This practice fulfilled human desires for offspring and physical well-being.

Social Gatherings

The festival provided opportunities for young men and women to meet. By the waterways, they would exchange flowers and express affection. In the Zhou Dynasty, such gatherings were officially recognized, particularly for unmarried youth. Over time, influenced by Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, these gatherings gradually shifted from their original purpose of "union of yin and yang" to simple recreational activities.

Worship of Gao Mei

The Shangsi Festival originated as a sacrificial occasion, with worship of Gao Mei (the goddess of fertility and childbirth) as a primary activity. Gao Mei, also known as Jiao Mei, was originally depicted as a pregnant woman and was worshipped to promote fertility. Ancient worship activities involved men and women meeting in the wild to conceive, and some places still maintain similar practices through rituals like "worshipping the flower mother" to pray for marriage and children.

Qu Shui Liu Shang

During the Wei-Jin period, the festival evolved from a sacrificial ceremony to an entertainment-focused event. The practice of "qu shui liu shang" (floating wine cups along a winding stream) became popular, where participants would sit by a meandering stream, place wine cups in the water, and compose poetry when the cups stopped in front of them. This practice was famously documented in Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" and became a refined activity among the literati.

Spring Outings

Legend associates the Shangsi Festival with the day when Nüwa patched the sky and created all things, and also the birthday of the wheat spirit. This led to the custom of spring outings to pray for peace and good fortune throughout the year. During the Tang Dynasty, spring outings reached their peak of popularity, with the imperial court hosting banquets at Qujiang and common people engaging in recreational activities. These customs gradually merged with the Qingming Festival but continue to be practiced in various forms.

Colored Eggs

A custom of eating colored eggs during the festival involved boiling eggs, duck eggs, or goose eggs, dyeing them various colors, and floating them downstream. People downstream would collect and eat the eggs and red dates when they floated near them. In ancient China, eggs symbolized pregnancy, and dates (zao) sounded like "early," so "floating colored eggs" and "floating red dates" expressed people's wishes for happy marriages and early childbirth.

Special Foods

People also eat jicai congee and artemisia cakes during the festival. Jicai (shepherd's purse) sounds like "jicai" (gathering wealth), so eating jicai congee was believed to bring financial fortune. Artemisia cakes were thought to "stick" one's soul and prevent it from being harmed by wandering spirits, thus promoting health.

Ethnic Variations

As a traditional festival of the Chinese nation, the Shangsi Festival has formed various customs centered on sacrificial prayers for children, water recreation, social gatherings, and singing. Although the festival is rarely celebrated by the Han majority today, "March Third" remains an important traditional festival for many southern ethnic groups.

Foreign Influences

The Shangsi Festival has also influenced neighboring cultures:

Vietnam

In Vietnam, "March Third" involves preparing colored glutinous rice, green cakes made from mugwort, cooked chicken, fried fish, roasted pork, rice cakes, taro cakes, candies, and alcoholic beverages for tomb sweeping and sacrificial offerings.

Japan

Japan's "March Third" developed from the Chinese Shangsi Festival and is known as "Hinamatsuri" (Doll Festival) or "Peach Blossom Festival." Families with daughters display elaborate dolls, peach blossoms, and diamond-shaped rice cakes to pray for their daughters' health and happiness. Originally, this custom involved transferring impurities to paper dolls and floating them down rivers, but during the Edo period, it evolved into displaying dolls at home.

Cultural Heritage and Preservation

The "March Third" celebrations of the Li, Zhuang, Baojing, She, and Bouyei peoples have been included in the "National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project List." Since the reform and opening-up, China's ethnic policies have been further implemented, making "March Third" celebrations more grand.

In the mid-1990s, the "March Third" Song Fair became a national intangible cultural heritage, with cultural departments organizing activities such as "mountain song competitions," "embroidered ball throwing," and "flower cannon snatching." In Wangmo County, Guizhou Province, the China·Wangmo "March Third" Bouyei Cultural Festival has been held annually since 2009, becoming a local cultural brand. In 2011, the Bouyei "March Third" of Wangmo County was included in the national intangible cultural heritage protection list. In 2014, "March Third" was designated as a legal traditional festival in Guangxi, and the "Zhuang March Third" was included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects.

Cultural Value and Impact

The Shangsi Festival initially served as a festival for dispelling evil and seeking good fortune, later evolving into a celebration of nature. Although its nature and content have changed over time, with diverse manifestations among different ethnic groups and regions, its customs all express people's hopes and prayers through worship of deities.

"March Third" from the Han people's original Shangsi Festival to the various "March Third" celebrations of ethnic minorities demonstrates both faith-based and entertainment characteristics, typical features of traditional festivals. The faith aspect manifests as reverence for ancestors, community gods, mountain gods, the desire for life, and prayers for abundant harvests. The entertainment aspect incorporates customs from traditional Hanshi and Qingming festivals, adding leisure activities related to solar terms, with ethnic minorities incorporating more of their own characteristics, combining with their history, legends, and regional features.

Related Works

The Orchid Pavilion Preface

Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" describes a gathering of literati for a purification ceremony: "In late spring, we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in Kuaiji to perform the purification ceremony." On the third day of the third lunar month, Wang Xizhi and forty friends, including Xie An, held a purification ceremony at the Orchid Pavilion. The preface describes: "Here there are high mountains and lofty ridges, dense forests and tall bamboos, and also clear streams rushing and reflecting on all sides, which we use to float wine cups along a winding stream, seating ourselves in order. Although there were no musical instruments, with just wine cups and recitations, we were able to express our deep feelings." This practice of floating wine cups and composing poetry became a model for later literati.

Confucian Records

The "Analects" passage "bathing in the Yi River, enjoying the breeze at the Rain Dance Altar, and returning singing" reflects the Shangsi custom. The Rites of Zhou states: "The female shaman is in charge of annual purification and bathing rituals." Zheng Xuan's commentary explains: "Annual purification refers to practices like the third day of the third lunar month by the water; bathing with aromatic herbs refers to using fragrant medicinal herbs for bathing."

Related Poetry

There are over 200 poems about the Shangsi Festival in historical records. A few notable examples include:

References

1. Zhang, J. (2015). Traditional Chinese Festivals: History and Customs. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.

2. Li, W. (2018). Rituals and Festivals in Ancient China. Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House.

3. Chen, L. (2020). Ethnic Minorities and Their Festivals in China. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

4. Wang, H. (2017). "The Evolution of Shangsi Festival: From Ritual to Recreation." Journal of Chinese Cultural Studies, 34(2), 45-67.

5. Liu, Y. (2019). Water Rituals in Chinese Traditional Culture. Taipei: Taiwan University Press.

6. Zhao, M. (2016). "Courtship Customs in Traditional Chinese Festivals." Folklore Studies, 28, 112-135.

7. National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center. (2018). The Preservation and Development of Ethnic Minority Festivals in China. Beijing: Cultural Relics Publishing House.

8. Feng, L. (2021). Shangsi Festival and Its Transformation in Chinese History. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.