Festivals in Dali

The major festivals of the Bai People are the Raosanlin, the Torch Festival, the Patron God Festival and the Shibaoshan Mountain Song Festival .The most important of all is the March Fair in Dali. It falls on March 15th on the lunar calendar and lasts 7 days.

March Fair (The Third Month Fair)
The fair held west of the ancient town of Dali begins on the 15th day of the third lunar month and lasts for seven to ten days. It has its origin from the fair at which Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, expounded the texts of Buddhism during Naozhao State.

The "Third Month Fair," which falls between March 15 and 20 of the lunar calendar, is a grand festival of the Bais. It is celebrated every year at the foot of the Diancang Hill to the west of Dali city. It is a fair and an occasion for sporting contests and theatrical performances. People gather there to enjoy dances, horse racing and other games.

Since ancient times, the Third Month Fair has been a commodity and cultural fair in southwestern China. Attracting many merchants.On the occasion, horse race and other traditional folk activities are held. It is now an official festival of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

Torch Festival
June 25 is the "Torch Festival." On that day, torches are lit everywhere to usher in a bumper harvest and to bless the people with good health and fortune. Streamers bearing auspicious words are hung in doorways and at village entrances alongside the flaming torches. Villagers, holding aloft torches, walk around in the fields to drive insects away.