Why peole in Guangxi celebrate Sanyuesan Festival

Sanyuesan, which refers to the third day of the third month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, is a traditional festival for many ethnic groups across China.

People in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region usually celebrate it with various activities including embroidered balls throwing, antiphonal singing, sparkler-grabbing, bamboo pole dancing, and lusheng performances.

On that day, the Zhuang people in cities and counties such as Chongzuo and Baise in Guangxi also observe the solemn annual Ancestral Tomb-Sweeping Festival.

On this day, families of the Zhuang ethnic group gather to pay respects at the gravesites of their ancestors. The act of tomb-sweeping, known in the Zhuang language as "can fen" or "bei fen," involves families and clans coming together to honor their forebears.

It is believed that the third day of the third lunar month is the most significant festival, prompting people from afar to return to their hometowns for tomb-sweeping. This day marks the most prominent occasion for family reunions throughout the year.

On Nov 11, 2014, the Sanyuesan Festival was included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage expansion projects.