Third Month Fair
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The Third Month Fair (
Bai language The Bai language (Bai: ; ) is a language spoken in China, primarily in Yunnan Province, by the Bai people. The language has over a million speakers and is divided into three or four main dialects. Bai syllables are always open, with a rich set ...
: ''salwa zix'') is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Bai people of
southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...
. It includes a street bazaar, performances, sports, and games, and takes place annually in
Dali City Dali City () is the county-level seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Yunnan. Dali City is administered through 12 township-level districts, two of which are also commonly referred to as Dali. Xiaguan () formerly ...
,
Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
. The fair lasts several days, starting on the 15th day of the third month of the Chinese calendar (in April or May of the
Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
). In 2023, it begins on May 4.


Legendary origins

The festival is also known as the Market of Guanyin,
Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
being the bodhisattva of mercy in
Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...
. It is said that Guanyin came to ancient Dali on the 15th day of the third month of the Chinese calendar, so an annual temple celebration was established on that day. An alternative origin story says that the festival celebrates the marriage of a princess, from the family of the
dragon king The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the '' lóng'' in C ...
of Erhai Lake, and a fisherman. The princess and the fisherman went to an annual market, held by gods and goddesses on the 15th day of the third month, that had precious stones and
medicinal herb Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...
s. A version of this story says that the market was on the Moon, and the couple went to buy fishing materials but did not find any. This celestial market (or a new market inspired by it) was moved to Earth, and it became the Third Month Street Fair.


Observance

The festival is observed by the Bai people and other ethnic groups of Yunnan. It begins on the 15th day of the third month of the Chinese calendar (in April or May of the
Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
), and lasts several days. The Third Month Fair dates back to the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
and began as a Buddhist temple gathering (''
miaohui Miaohui (), literally temple gatherings or translated as temple fairs, also called yíngshén sàihuì ( "collective rituals to greet the gods"), are Chinese religious gatherings held by Miao shrines for the worship of the Chinese gods and im ...
''). It is traditionally a time to pray for the harvest. It is also associated with love, and is considered a time for courting. It is celebrated with a street fair held below Mount Diancang, near Dali Old Town; the Dali area is the cultural center of the Bai people. Stalls at the fair sell a wide variety of goods, including medicinal herbs, handicrafts, Pu'er tea, traditional candy, local ham, livestock, silk, gemstones such as
amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...
and jade, wooden sculptures,
embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...
, hats, shoes, kitchenware, fishing and farming tools, and furniture. Animals sold at the market include cattle, horses, mules, and
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
n camels. One of the fair's most well-known products is
traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
, and the Third Month Fair is said to have the most extensive array of medicinal products for sale anywhere in western Yunnan. A survey of the 2012 fair found hundreds of types of traditional medicine for sale, including some from other parts of China and from India, Myanmar, and Thailand. The most popular traditional medicines sold at the market include '' Magnolia biondii'', ''
Crataegus pinnatifida ''Crataegus pinnatifida'', also known as mountain hawthorn, Chinese haw, Chinese hawthorn or Chinese hawberry, refers to a small to medium-sized tree, as well as the fruit of the tree. The fruit is bright red, in diameter. Use Culinary use In ...
'', and ''
Glycyrrhiza uralensis ''Glycyrrhiza uralensis'', also known as Chinese liquorice, is a flowering plant native to Asia. It is used as a sweetener and in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional uses Liquorice root, or 'radix glycyrrhizae', is one of the 50 fundam ...
''. The festival involves singing and dancing performances as well as competitions, including horse racing, dragon boat races, ball games, board games, archery, wrestling, and martial arts. People dress up in traditional festive attire, and the old town is extensively decorated, including with lanterns and flowers. The fair is famous throughout the country and has become a tourist attraction, attracting sightseers from other parts of China and abroad.


Government recognition

In modern times, government officials have lent support to the Third Month Fair, seeing it as a way to promote economic growth, especially for minority communities, and to show support for Bai culture. The festival was formally recognized by the government of
Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture (; Bai: ) is an autonomous prefecture of northwestern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. Dali has an area of and its seat is located in Xiaguan, Dali City. Subdivisions The prefecture is subdivided int ...
in 1991. In the 1990s, the government invested in permanent structures for the market, including roads and hundreds of stalls. The project involved close to 4 million
RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...
from the local government and the Yunnan government and more than 13 million RMB from other investors. In 2008, the Third Month Fair was recognized at the national level as part of China's intangible cultural heritage. The Third Month Fair is a local public holiday in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. It was made a public holiday in 1991, with residents getting two days off. This was later expanded to three days off, from the 15th to the 17th of the third month of the Chinese calendar. In 2023, this corresponds to May 4 through 6.


See also

*
Chinese herbology Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...
* ''
Five Golden Flowers ''Five Golden Flowers'' ( Chinese: 五朶金花; pinyin: ''Wǔ duo jīnhuā'') is a 1959 Chinese romantic musical film directed by Wang Jiayi and produced by Changchun Film Studio. The screenplay was written by Zhao Jikang and Wang Gongpu. Set in ...
'', a film that prominently features the Third Month Fair * List of observances set by the Chinese calendar *
Tourism in China Tourism in China is a growing industry that is becoming a significant part of the Chinese economy. The rate of tourism has expanded over the last few decades since the beginning of reform and opening-up. The emergence of a newly rich middle cl ...
*
Traditional Tibetan medicine Traditional Tibetan medicine (), also known as Sowa-Rigpa medicine, is a centuries-old traditional medical system that employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior ...


Notes


References

{{reflist Festivals in China Street fairs Observances set by the Chinese calendar April observances May observances Public holidays in China Bai people Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture