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Selling Yourself Festival (Water Splashing Festival), Dongguan

Time: the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month
Place: Dongkeng Town
Introduction: Every year on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month, tens of thousands of folks gather in Dongkeng Town in Dongguan. They walk on the ten-mile street and splash “magic water” on each other, do shopping and appreciate festooned vehicles. It is the most grand festival in Dongguan today.
 

according to history documents，Selling Yourself Festival originated during the years of Wanli  (1573—1619) in the Ming Dynasty when a rich family with surname Lu put up a post to hire workers on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month, which was imitated by others. From then on, people hire workers on every 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month and young adults, far and near, all came to Dongkeng to find employers. Hence the name of the day “Selling Yourself Festival”. Dongkeng is called “small Macau ”, incorporating folk cultures and trade business of Guang Dong, Hong Kong and Macau. In every “Selling Yourself Festival” period, people from Hong Kong, Macau and other surrounding places all gather here, making market business, labor contract and joyfulness the three major parts of the festival. This festival has been continued for several hundred years which developed many folk legends of encountering immortals and bring luckiness. 

Today, there is no longer labor selling in Selling Yourself Festival but market, food, and legends of immortals and happiness, added to festooned vehicles parade and ethnic dancing performance of different Chinese minority nationalities