? March Street is the grandest festival of the Dali Bai people, and one of the few and largest material exchange events in Yunnan Province and the country. It is held at the foot of Dancang Mountain, west of Dali City, from the 15th to the 20th day of the third month of the summer lunar calendar every year, and is aimed at praying for a bountiful harvest.
March Street used to be called the "Guanyin Festival". There is also a "moon will" legend: the three princesses of the Dali Kingdom fell in love with a fisherman boy, the two went to the moon on the 15th of March to catch the meeting, did not buy farming tools, did not buy fishing nets, and then returned to their hometown. The townspeople moved the street on the moon to the ground, and thus the street catching extravaganza appeared in Dali.
The origin of the March Street festival, according to legend, the Nanzhao fine Nu Luo, Guanyin in March 15 to Dali preaching, so every year at that time, the good men and women will be set up to worship and chanting sutras and sacrifices. March Street has become a temple fair for scriptures and Buddhist teachings. Because Dali is located in a major transportation route, ancient Yunnan Buddhist people, and now the temple fair gradually evolved into a local trade fair and festival in western Yunnan.
Dali March Street, is a traditional event with a history of more than a thousand years, also known as the ancient Guanyin City or Guanyin will be. 1991, the Standing Committee of the Dali People's Congress, the Dali people of all ethnic groups of the grandest traditional festivals designated as "Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture Ethnic Festival". March Street is also a festival of culture and entertainment. People here to watch movies, exhibitions, songs, dance, Dian opera, play lanterns, listen to music and so on.
The Bai people, as well as the nearby Han, Yi, Naxi, Tibet, Lisu, Hui and other ethnic groups, have dressed in festive costumes, driving livestock, hand-carrying shoulder picking mountain medicinal herbs and agricultural products, gathered in the square at the foot of Cangshan Mountain. In addition to the exchange of materials, but also held songs, dancing, archery, horse racing, ball games, but also perform white opera, lantern plays.
The Horse Race, is the most climactic event on March Street. Fat Dali horse to run fast, can ride good pack is known throughout the country, the racecourse, hundreds of horses such as arrows off the string, hooves galloped. On the back of the galloping horse, the riders launched the courage, wisdom and speed of the competition, so that the bright spring season a few more masculine.
The Dali Cultural Troupe's performance of the "King's Whip" is very popular with the audience. The whip is made of bamboo and wood, about 1 meter long, with a colorful cloth wrapped around five sections, each section hangs a few coins. Dancers in the drums and gongs, suona sound, hit the whip dance, make a variety of athletic and beautiful dance movements.
See the colorful whip suddenly like a silver snake wrapped around the body, suddenly like a golden dragon flying, when the colorful whip touched the dancers' shoulders, arms, waist, legs, issued a rhythmic "cha-cha-cha" sound, pleasing to the eye.