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 ban Emperor ( Yandi ), is considered to be the ancestor of all Chinese people. The date was fixed after the Wei and in Dynasties.
In the Eastern in 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 while drinking from cups drifting along the river. In the Tang Dynasty, people enjoyed drinks and sightseeing. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people did activities like drifting cups, throwing stones, hiking 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 for remembering ancestors. For the an people, it is a time to go outside to enjoy flowers and cook eggs with jicai. The ban people believe the special eggs are good for their health.
