Do you know the origin and customs of March 3, 2020?

Do you know the origin and customs of March 3, 2020?
There is a saying in China since ancient times: "On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head; on the third day of the third month, Xuanyuan is born." After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Shangsi Festival was changed to March 3rd, and it was inherited by later generations, thus becoming a festival for the Han people to feast by the water and outing in the suburbs in spring. So, do you know the origin and customs of March 3, 2020? In March, all things come back to life, willows are green, flowers are red, orioles are singing and swallows are dancing, and the earth is full of vitality. Shuimoxiansheng.com analyzes every detail of the third month of the lunar calendar in 2020 for you!

What festival is on March 3rd of the lunar calendar in 2020?

——The third day of the third lunar month is a traditional festival for many ethnic groups in China, with the Zhuang ethnic group being the most typical. In ancient times, young Zhuang men and women gathered in the streets to sing and gathered by the river for feasts. According to Zhuang legend, March 3 is the birthday of Buluotuo, the ancestor of the Zhuang people. The Han nationality celebrates the Shangsi Festival, and there is a saying that on March 3rd, one should worship ancestors and on March 3rd, one should worship Xuanyuan.
Han people will hold a ceremony to worship their ancestors in Huangdi's hometown in Henan.
The Zhuang ethnic group has many customs for the "March 3rd" festival. Singing songs and talking about love, grabbing firecrackers, throwing embroidered balls, eating five-color glutinous rice, etc. are also interesting festival customs.
The Dong ethnic group’s “March 3rd” festival is also known as the “Sowing Festival”, “Onion-asking Festival” and “Fireworks and Firecrackers Festival”. The Dong ethnic group often holds activities such as grabbing firecrackers, bullfighting, horse fighting, singing, and stepping on the hall on March 3rd, so it is also called the "Firecracker Festival."

What are the origins?

【1】The origin of “March 3rd” can be traced back to commemorating Emperor Fuxi. Fuxi and his sister Nuwa formed humans from clay and reproduced. People in eastern Henan respectfully called Fuxi the "Ancestor of Mankind."
The ancient Taihao Mausoleum Temple was built in Huaiyang (the place where Fuxi established his capital). From the second day of the second month to the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, the Taihao Mausoleum Temple Fair is held. Devout men and women, with boats from the south and horses from the north, all gather in the mausoleum area to pay homage to the ancestor of mankind.
[2] In addition, according to legend, March 3rd is the birthday of the Yellow Emperor. There is a saying in China since ancient times: "On February 2nd, the dragon raises its head; on March 3rd, Xuanyuan is born." Emperor Huangdi is revered as the ancestor of Chinese civilization and the common ancestor of all Chinese descendants.
In order to commemorate the merits of Huangdi, later generations hold various ancestor worship activities in Huangdi's hometown on the third day of March every year. This folk activity has been further developed and passed down as folk custom.
[3] In addition, as early as the Zhou Dynasty before the Common Era, the third day of the third lunar month was designated as the country’s legal Valentine’s Day. Young men and women from all over the country would gather in local areas to look for their ideal partners.
In this sense, the Shangsi Festival on March 3 is also a courtship festival. Since ancient times in my country, both the Han and ethnic minorities have regarded the third day of the third lunar month as not only a festival to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings, but also a day for men and women to socialize and express their love.

Common customs on March 3

[1] Boiled eggs with shepherd's purse. A folk proverb says: "On March 3rd, shepherd's purse is a panacea." "On March 3rd, boiled eggs with shepherd's purse." Spring is the season for eating shepherd's purse. On the third day of the third lunar month, Chinese people have the custom of eating ground vegetables and boiled eggs. Shepherd's purse, also known as ground vegetable, field vegetable, etc., is a kind of delicious, nutritious wild vegetable that grows in the corners of fields. There is a line in the Book of Songs that goes "Its sweet as shepherd's purse"; Xin Qiji also has the line "The peaches and plums in the city are worried about wind and rain, while spring is in the shepherd's purse flowers by the stream." Eating shepherd's purse in spring is also a long-standing traditional custom in our country.
[2] Families go out to enjoy the apricot blossoms On the third day of March, families go out to enjoy the apricot blossoms. Some families bring food and wine for picnics in the suburbs. This is the time when the first apricot blossoms of spring bloom. There is an ancient saying that "the apricot blossoms are fragrant in March" and "It's another year of green grass, and the apricot blossoms are still fragrant for ten miles." In fact, from the perspective of flower viewing, apricot blossoms are not very beautiful, but apart from the forsythia, they are the "first branch of the east wind" that blooms early, and they are already blooming in March of the lunar calendar. After dormant in the city for a winter, people go to the suburbs to enjoy the apricot blossoms when the spring comes, which has become an activity on the "March 3rd" festival.
[3] Eating chicken-arrow vine Eating chicken-arrow vine on the third day of the third lunar month is a traditional custom of the local people in Beihai, Guangxi. It is said that the third day of the third lunar month is the birthday of Emperor Huangdi, the ancestor of the Chinese nation. The people of Beihai use this to commemorate this great man. They mix the leaves with rice and grind them into powder, which is then made into pieces of chicken-arrow vine noodles. The chicken-arrow vine rice cake soup made with this kind of noodles has a fragrant and sweet taste and is a favorite snack of the locals.
[4] Flying kites There is a folk custom of flying kites on the third day of the third lunar month. "It is the third day of the third lunar month in the world, and kites are flying all over the sky." There are many theories about the origin of kites. Some say that they were once a tool for transmitting intelligence in wars, but among the people, it is a game. Adults and children all like to fly kites, and some people think it is a fitness activity. There are many different ways to make kites, and it is rare to see major differences. Many of them have become handicrafts. People also believe that after the winter, they should go outdoors. In fact, not only on this day, but from Shangsi Day to Qingming Festival are all good times for flying kites, so they fly kites on the third day of March.
【5】Eat spring pancakes
Eating "Spring Pancakes" is also on the third day of March. There is also a food custom on Shangsi Day. Roll the dough into thin pancakes, boil the eggs, peel them, and mash them. Some families even add mashed garlic and roll up the pancakes to eat. In some places where it warms up early and there are green onions, people roll the spring pancakes with green onions and eat them.

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