农历三月，正是大理最美的季节。三月的苍山，虽然峰壑间还闪现着雪影 ，

但杜鹃花已绽放于丛林，使以往青黑的山颜泛起了红晕。而在山的半腰，出其
不意就会飘起一两幅白云织就的飘带，这时的洱海，白帆点点、岛屿隐现，岸
柳轻拂如忽闪之眉睫，清波荡漾如多情之眸子，特别迷人。这样的好时节，也
是节庆开始的时候。位于大理古城西门外的三月街上，到处悬挂起皮毛的色彩、
布匹的色彩以及牛仔裤、西装裙的斑斓；四下飘飞着药材的异香，还有各种各
样的民族美食。大理向来是茶马古道经过之地，也是商贾繁忙的地方，于是，
热闹的三月街，似乎成为滇西的“春季交易会”。
The third lunar month is the best season to feast upon the splendor of Dali. Vast
expansions of scarlet rhododendrons have blossomed, turning the densely forested
Cangshan Mountain occasionally embellished with snow-carpeted peaks into a fair
lady with rosy cheeks. One might get lucky to see a ribbon or two woven by white
clouds drifting halfway up the mountain, which is quite an unnaturally natural
enchantment. From atop Changshan Mountain, the Erhai Lake, dotted with dazzling
white sails and islands vanishing and reappearing in the heavy fog, is separated by the
ancient town of Dali. Willows on the bank flutter like flattering eyebrows while wave
after wave of the Erhai Lake resemble winking eyes of an amorous lover, setting off
the Cangshan Mountain picturesquely. Such a wonderful time for the inauguration of
a fair! Several hundred meters away west of the ancient city, the March Fair is
characterized by temporally stalls selling a mind-blowing variety of items. Colorful
pieces of fur and cloth, and fashionable clothes are hung from stall to stall with
distinct fragrance of herbal medicine and various ethnic delicacies roaming in the air.
Since ancient times, Dali has been the site which the Ancient Tea-horse Road passes
through and also a prosperous commercial center with bells and whistles, thus the
vital March Street becoming a trade fair in spring in western Yunnan.
这种盛大的街期和传统集会，每年夏历三月十五日起，在大理城西点苍山
中和麓举行，为期五至七天。三月街的起源与宗教活动有关。一说观音菩萨在
三月十五治服了为害人民的罗刹，为此，白族人民年年相聚，举行拜祭活动，
后演变为一年一度的街期，故此节又称“观音节”、“观音街”。
At the foot of the Zhonghe Peak of Cangshan Mountain, this grand traditional
gathering lasts for five days or a week every year, starting from the March 15th of the
lunar calendar. A local legend offers an origin story associated with religious activities
which goes as follows: During the Zhenguan Period, Kwan-yin Bodhisattva subdued
the devil called Rakshasa and saved people from its scourge on March 15th. Ever
since, the Bai people would gather annually in the Kwan-yin street, offering sacrifices
and worshiping Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, which later develops into a yearly commercial
event also hailed as the Kwan-yin Festival or Kwan-yin Fair.
三月街实为滇西的民族市场。由于大理自古以来就是滇西的物资交流、集
散中心，故而随着白族地区经济的发展，三月街由原来的佛事活动发展成为进
行物资交流和群众性文娱活动的盛会。每逢三月街时，街上人山人海，商贸云
集，货物琳琅满目。白族人民，以及附近的汉、彝、纳西、藏、僳僳、回等族
群众，纷纷身着节日盛装，赶着牲畜，手携肩挑着山货药材和农副产品，聚集
在苍山脚下的广场上，除进行物资交流外，还举行对歌、跳舞、射箭、赛马、
球类比赛等，还要演出白剧、花灯戏。
 The March Fair is a market with ethnic features in western Yunnan. Since Dali
has long been the commercial center for exchanges of goods in western Yunnan, the
economic development of the Bai settlements give rise to the Fair evolving from a
great Buddhist event in the very beginning to a massive fair featuring goods exchange
and cultural recreations. Every time, it is crammed with waves of tourists, vendors
from nearby prefectures, and an eye-catching diversity of goods. Besides the Bai
people, other ethnic groups such as the Han, Yi, Naxi, Tibetan, Lisu, Hui in nearby
regions will all swarm to the fair in their ethnic costumes, herding livestock and
poultry, shouldering loads of various local specialties such as medicine herbs and
agricultural products, and rallying on the square of the March Fair where such
entertainments as dialogue folk songs, dance performances, archery matches, horse
races, ball games, and Bai ethnic and lantern-themed dramas are to be held in addition
to goods exchanges.