"Hi liao liao luo, hi happiness liao liao luo..." Singing the Zhuang folk songs from her memory, 19-year-old Mo Xialin from Guangxi smiled happily. Not long ago, at the 10th "March 3rd" Ethnic Culture Experience and Exhibition event of Guangxi University, many students wore ethnic costumes, held hands, sang and danced, with smiles on their faces.

　　For the people of all ethnic groups in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the third day of the third lunar month every year is a grand occasion no less important than the Spring Festival. On this day, people go outdoors to throw embroidered balls, sing antiphonal songs, and drink and make merry, celebrating the festival and enjoying the joy of socializing through rich traditional activities.

　　Finding human "connections" in traditional folk activities

　　At the opening ceremony of the "March 3rd" Ethnic Culture Experience and Exhibition event at Guangxi University, Mo Xialin took part in the bamboo pole dance performance. Eight long bamboo poles opened and closed, making rhythmic sounds, as Mo Xialin and her partners, dressed in ethnic costumes, nimbly leaped between the poles.

　　This was Mo Xialin's first experience with the bamboo pole dance, a traditional minority activity, and she was somewhat nervous during the performance. When she first started practicing the bamboo pole dance, she could never keep up with the rhythm of the poles being struck and kept getting her feet caught. The dance team members discussed the problem together and adjusted their formation. In this process, Mo Xialin gradually felt the cohesive force of this traditional ethnic dance: "Everyone actively proposed solutions, and I felt our little group became more united."

　　Mo Xialin is a member of the dance team of the College of Agriculture at Guangxi University, but due to her busy studies, she rarely has the chance to meet up with her friends on the dance team. The school's "March 3rd" event gave them more opportunities to interact and also enriched Mo Xialin's experiences. "You can meet a lot of people in this process, and that feels good."

　　Besides the bamboo pole dance, throwing embroidered balls is also a traditional activity for celebrating "March 3rd." When Mo Xialin was in high school, the school set up a basket-catching embroidered ball event at its sports meet. The event was divided into a throwing side and a catching side; within a set time, the two sides had to cooperate so that the thrown embroidered balls landed in the catching side's baskets. Mo Xialin felt that this sport greatly tests the tacit understanding between the two sides. When she first tried throwing embroidered balls, she got one in, which both surprised and delighted her, and she began to fall in love with the sport. Now, every "March 3rd," she pulls her friends along to play the embroidered ball toss. "These activities add fun to our lives and also make my relationships with friends more harmonious."

　　"In Zhuang culture, the embroidered ball is also regarded as a mascot that can ward off evil and disasters and pray for happiness. The embroidered ball toss is also seen as a way of praying for blessings and making wishes." In the hometown of Zhuang young man Wei Weijun, Tianyang District of Baise City, every "March 3rd," Zhuang young people gather outdoors and by the riverside. The girls throw the embroidered balls in their hands to the ones they fancy; if a young man is interested in a girl, he will tie silver jewelry or a money pouch and other gifts to the embroidered ball and throw it back to her. If the girl accepts the young man's gift, it means she accepts his courtship. "This traditional embroidered ball activity is not only entertaining but also a way of expressing feelings and socializing."

　　"The singing never stops, and the drinking never stops"

　　Singing folk songs is a cultural activity characteristic of Guangxi's ethnic minorities. Young men and women use singing to express greetings and get to know each other better, and they can also "convey feelings through antiphonal singing."

　　Wei Weijun once watched antiphonal singing activities in his hometown. Young girls sing folk songs and the boys sing back; if the two match up, they can arrange to go eat and hang out together. "This activity can strengthen the feelings between two people, and neighborhood relations become more harmonious too. I'll participate too when I get the chance in the future."

　　"Almost everyone here can sing a few lines of the songs from the TV series 'Liu Sanjie.'" Mo Xialin's hometown is in Pingshan Town, Luzhai County, Liuzhou City. Every "March 3rd," Mo Xialin and her friends go to the town to watch impromptu folk song singing. Some young singers improvise lyrics at the edge of the market and sing folk songs. "Many of the lyrics incorporate present-day life and are very interesting. After listening to the folk songs, a whole day often passes."

　　The maternal home of 21-year-old Li Lirong is in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Liuzhou City, where the local song fair culture is also very strong. After tea and meals, whether men or women, old or young, people often communicate through antiphonal singing.

　　"The Dong people have a toast song, and there's a saying: 'The singing never stops, and the drinking never stops.'" Li Lirong said. When the toast song starts, people in ethnic costumes rise and surround the round table to propose toasts. They stack bowls one on top of another, singing while pouring wine. The person proposing the toast pours the wine from the highest bowl, and the wine flows through every bowl. The singing never stops and the drinking never stops, and the atmosphere gradually becomes lively along with the singing.

　　Traditional and modern elements collide, and youth participation has increased

　　In high school, Li Lirong had already been exposed to the dances of the ethnic minorities' "March 3rd." To give traditional ethnic dances youthful vitality, she and her classmates incorporated "umbrellas," a common element in Yao and Dai ethnic dances, into a new style of dance, and added poetry recitation, creating a performance that was both related to ethnic minorities and popular among young people. They performed it at the school's arts gala and received widespread praise.

　　As one of the planners of the "March 3rd" Ethnic Culture Experience and Exhibition event at Guangxi University, Li Lirong, together with classmates from the student union, planned a traditional ethnic costume fashion show. During the model selection stage, they received registration forms from various colleges, and many students even suggested increasing the number of models; everyone was highly enthusiastic about participating.

　　During the fashion show, Li Lirong also organized classmates to explain the costumes of various ethnic minorities. Some classmates, when preparing the explanatory materials, learned about the customs and habits of ethnic minorities for the first time and found it fresh and interesting. This made Li Lirong even more determined about what she was doing. "Ethnic costumes carry the customs and habits of a people. Through the traditional ethnic costume fashion show, both the participating students and the audience can better understand the ethnic minority culture of Guangxi."

　　Li Lirong said that in recent years, more and more people have participated in the school's "March 3rd" ethnic culture experience activities, with annual participation reaching about 40,000 people. To boost everyone's enthusiasm for participating, the school also held an online antiphonal singing activity. Students from various colleges adapted folk songs and, wearing ethnic costumes, filmed music videos. After the content was posted online, it received many shares and likes, with participation reaching 40,000 to 50,000 people.

　　"Now young people's enthusiasm for participating in 'March 3rd' traditional ethnic activities is running high." Wei Weijun observed with emotion that every time he watches an ethnic minority cultural performance, he always sees a large crowd of young people gathered below the stage.

　　Wei Weijun feels that "March 3rd" is one of the most representative spring festivals. On this day, he goes out for spring outings, takes part in traditional ethnic entertainment activities, and strolls around with classmates, enjoying the warm spring sunshine and all the beautiful scenery.

　　At the "March 3rd" event site at Guangxi University, Li Lirong wore a gorgeous Zhuang costume embroidered with patterns and designs in five-colored silk threads, dazzling in the sunlight. "Spring has come, and dressing in bright colors makes you look very energetic."

　　This year's "March 3rd," Li Lirong plans to take her friends from Guangxi University to visit her hometown Liuzhou, to taste the local food and tour the beautiful scenery.

　　In Li Lirong's view, spring is a season full of hope, and also a season when everything starts anew and all things revive. "'March 3rd' is a festival of spring, full of everyone's beautiful expectations for the new year. While inheriting ethnic culture, we are also embracing spring and welcoming hope."