The Double Third Festival is an ancient Chinese festival. It comes on the third day of the third lunar(农历) month. The day is said to be the birthday of the Yellow Emperor. He, along with the Yan Emperor, is considered to be the ancestor(祖先) of all Chinese people. The date was fixed after the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, people often took a bath in the river on that day to wash away bad luck. Wang Xizhi wrote in his Lantingji Xu about how people took a bath and wrote poems(诗) while drinking from cups moving along the river. In the Tang Dynasty, people enjoyed drinks. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people did activities like drinking from cups moving along the river, throwing stones, climbing mountains and listening to music.
In modern times, it is mainly celebrated by the people in the southern parts of China. For the Zhuang people in Guangxi, it is a festival for young people to sing songs and find their true love. Bamboo dancing is another important activity for them. For the Li and Miao people in Hainan, it is a day to remember ancestors. For the Han people, it is a time to go outside to enjoy flowers and cook eggs with jicai (芥菜). The Han people believe the special eggs are good for their health.
