The Water Splashing Festival is the crystallization of the traditional culture of the Dai people and is a festival of happiness and joy. China's Dai people are an ethnic group with a long cultural tr

The Water Splashing Festival is the crystallization of the traditional culture of the Dai people and is a festival of happiness and joy. China's Dai people are an ethnic group with a long cultural tradition, with a population of nearly In Xishuangbanna, there are many ethnic minorities, among which the Dai are the main ones, and their most important festival is the Water Splashing Festival.

The Water Splashing Festival is the New Year's festival of the Dai people and the most important festival of the Dai people, which is held in the fourth month of the lunar calendar (equivalent to the fifth month of the Dai calendar) every year and usually lasts for three to four days. The first day is "Mai Day", similar to the lunar New Year's Eve, which is called "Wan Duoshanghan" in Dai language, meaning to send the old. At this time, people want to tidy up the house, clean up, prepare the annual meal and various activities during the festival. The next day is called "annoyed day", "annoyed" means "empty", according to the custom of this day is neither the previous year, also does not belong to the year after the year, so it is "empty day "; the third day called" MaiPaYa late Ma ", it is said that this is the Paya late spirit with the new calendar back to earth day, people used to regard this day as the day of the king comes, is the new year's day of the Dai calendar. Water Splashing Festival

The Water Splashing Festival originated in India, is an ancient Brahmanism ceremony, later absorbed by Buddhism, about the end of the twelfth century to the beginning of the thirteenth century in the twelfth century A.D. through the Burmese with the Buddhism into the Dai area of Yunnan Province, China. With the deepening influence of Buddhism in the Dai area, the Water Splashing Festival has become a national custom that has been passed down for hundreds of years. In the process of passing down the Water Splashing Festival, the Dai people gradually combined it with their own national myths and legends, which gave the Water Splashing Festival more magical meanings and national colors. Up to now, there is a very interesting myth circulating among the Dai people: in ancient times, there was a devil in the Dai area, who did a lot of evils and gave out lewdness indiscriminately, which made the crops not harvested, the people's hearts not peaceful, and the people had no chance to live. People hated him, but they tried many ways to deal with him. Later, the devil took seven women as his wives. Seeing the miserable lives of their fellow countrymen, the girls were determined to find a way to destroy the demon. The seven clever girls found out from the devil's words his fatal weakness, that is, only the devil's own hair can kill him. One night, when the demon was drunk and fell into a deep sleep, the girls bravely pulled a hair from his head and tied it tightly around his neck. Sure enough, the demon's head immediately fell off. But as soon as the head hit the ground, the ground burst into flames. Seeing that it would become a disaster, the girls immediately picked up the head, and the fire was extinguished, and the demon disappeared with it. In order to prevent the fire from rekindling and plaguing the people, the sisters decided to take turns holding the demon's head, changing it every year. At the time of the annual change, people gave the girl who held the head a rinse in order to wash away the blood stains and the exhaustion of adulthood. Later, the Dai people to commemorate the seven resourceful and brave women, on this day every year to splash each other with water, since the formation of the Dai people's grand festival of the old and welcome the new - Water Festival. People who have been to Yunnan know the famous Dai Water Splashing Festival, but the legend of the origin of the Water Splashing Festival has two kinds. The legend of Xishuangbanna and Dehong is derived from the story of "Seven Princesses Killing the Fire Devil", while the story of the Dai Water Splashing Festival located in the Huaping area of Lijiang is unique. The Dai people here are the northernmost Dai tribe in China and even in Asia. Their story is like this: Legend has it that a long time ago, the Jinsha River side of a gathering in the deep forest of the Dai village, because of the forest fire, the villagers in danger of being engulfed in flames, a Dai man named Li Liang, in order to protect the village, not afraid of the dangers of rushing out of the fire net, picking from the Jinsha River buckets of water, sprinkle the fire, after a day and a night of exertion, the fire was finally extinguished by splashing the villagers to be rescued, Li Liang! Because of the exhaustion of sweat flow dry, thirst on the hill. The villagers called fresh water to Li Liang to quench their thirst, but after drinking ninety-nine picks of water could not quench their thirst, and then Li Liang jumped headlong into the river, turned into a giant dragon, and went down the river. Some people said that he turned into a big tree. Dai people in order to commemorate Li Liang, every year on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, each house cleaned up, sprinkled with pine leaves, and in the selected riverside or wells, with the green tree set up a half-mile-long green shed, under the shed sprinkled with thick pine needles, both sides of the water tank full of water, the sun when the top of the midday sun, the crowd walked under the shed with each other with a pine branch dipped in the water sprinkled body, expressed the nostalgia and the blessing of the New Year to Li Liang. This activity continues to this day, become the Dai people resigned to welcome the new year, blessing auspicious festival - Water Festival. Also, legend has it that Zhu Geliang once came here and taught the Dai people to bathe, build high houses, planting, etc., so on the day of the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar every year, people will pounce on each other to express their blessings.

Water Festival blessings

In the "Mai Day", early in the morning people will pick flowers and leaves to the Buddhist temple offerings, and bring water to "bath Buddha" - for the Buddha statue The Buddha's image is washed with fresh water. After the "bathing of Buddha", the collective splashing of water on each other begins. A group of young men and women with a variety of containers of water, out of the streets and alleys, chasing and playing, everyone will splash. "Water flower release, Daijia crazy", "splash wet all over, happiness for life"! Symbol of good luck, happiness, health, a flower in the air bloomed, people splashed as much as possible to sprinkle, laughter, happy exceptionally, wet all over the body, the excitement is very high.