The Bai people live in the Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Dali in Yunnan province and the Third Month Street Fair is held from the 15th to the 21st of the third lunar month. It is the biggest event of the year for the Bai people and it is held at the foot of Mount Diancang Shan to pray for a good harvest.
The Third Month Street is also named Guanyin Market, after the Goddess of Mercy. This is because the legend states Guanyin came to Dali in the Nanzhao State period (938-1253) to talk about Buddhism; this was on the 15th day of the third lunar month. The street then became a temple fair so believers could pay homage to Guanyin. The city’s trade has since grown enormously and the fair became a regular festival.
Yet another legend has it that the third princess of Dali fell in love with a young fisherman. On this date, the pair went to the moon to visit the trade fair there, looking to buy fishing equipment, but they came home with nothing. Locals then relocated the trade fair and the festival began in Dali. To this day, Bai people call Third Month Street ‘Moon Street.’
The fair traditionally traded in tea, medicine, horses and mules but things have now changed. Opera performances, horse racing, dancing and folk singing attract a huge number of visitors. These include people from other ethnic groups as well as people from other regions of China and abroad.
The Third Month Street Fair is also a time for love. People visit the Butterfly Lake in accordance with the story of a young couple who jumped into it to keep their love alive after many hardships. On jumping, they turned into butterflies. Five Golden Flowers, a film made in the 1950s, was based on this story and was popular all over China.
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