The Custom of "Walking Three Bridges" in Taiping Bridge

"Take three bridges well", also known as "take a safe road" and "walk through all diseases", has pinned people's hopes for health and safety. In the old society, this custom existed in many places, but the content was different in different regions. It is said that in Shantou, Guangdong Province, lanterns are placed everywhere every Lantern Festival night, dressed as eight scenic spots, while villagers parade with lanterns and run between bridges. In southern Jiangsu, it is an activity for women to avoid disasters and seek happiness. Also on the fifteenth night of the first month, women have to cross three bridges, so as to avoid all diseases. Amin poet Zhou Yong once said: "All aunts, brides and sisters-in-law should dress up and get sick when they meet."

The "Three Bridges" in Tongli are more rich in cultural interest and local characteristics. In the old society, when people in the town held big weddings, they all happily carried sedan chairs, beat gongs and drums, sang songs and strolled around the three bridges of Taiping, Geely and Changqing. There is a folk proverb: "The bride and groom walk three bridges, and they are soul mates and grow old together." On the 66th birthday of the old man, he thought that he crossed the Third Bridge after lunch, so as to ensure his safety and longevity, and he got a good luck that "the old man walks on the Third Bridge with beautiful hair and lives longer than Nanshan". Now, even on the day of the baby's full moon, the mother has to walk three bridges in her arms to grow up safely and healthily. The third bridge is also regarded as an auspicious thing by local people.