Fix a prime integer p. We show that a closed orientable 3-manifold M admits an action of Zp with the fixed point set S1 if and only if M can be obtained as the result of surgery on a p-periodic framed link L and Zp acts freely on the components of L. We prove a similar theorem for free Zp-actions. As an interesting application, we prove the following, rather unexpected result: for any M as above and for any odd prime p, H1(M, Zp) ≠ Zp. We also prove a similar criterion of 2-periodicity for rational homology 3-spheres.