The Shangsi Festival(上巳节), also known as the Double Third Festival, is an ancient Chinese festival. It comes on the third day of the third lunar month. .
The day is said to be the birthday of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi). He, along with the Yan Emperor (Yandi), is considered to be the ancestor(先祖) of all Chinese people.
. In the Eastern Jin dynasty(朝代), Wang Xizhi wrote in his Lantingji Xu about how people took a bath and wrote poems while drinking from cups drifting(漂浮的) along the river. . In the Ming and Qing dynasties, people did activities like drifting cups, drifting eggs, throwing stones, hiking and listening to music.
In modern times(现代), it is mainly celebrated by the national minorities(少数民族) in China. During the festival, the Han people would go outside to enjoy flowers. To the Zhuang people in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, it is a festival for young people to sing songs and find their true love. . For the Li and Miao people in Hainan province, it is a day for remembering ancestors.
Special food is also an important part of the festival. Five-colored sticky rice and painted eggs are traditional food for the Shangsi Festival. .
| A. People in different times celebrate the festival in different ways. B. Bamboo dancing is another important activity for them. C. In the Tang dynasty, people enjoyed drinks and beautiful views. D. The Zhuang people believe the rice is good for health and the painted eggs are the symbol of love. E. People often take a bath in the river on that day to wash away bad luck. |
