What are the Traditional Customs of Water Splashing Festival

Traditional Customs of the Dai Water Splashing Festival:

The Water Splashing Festival is the grandest festival of the Dai people, and it is also the festival with the greatest influence and the largest number of participants among the festivals of the ethnic minorities in Yunnan. The Dai Water Festival lasts for three to four days. The first day is "Mai Day", which is similar to New Year's Eve on the lunar calendar, and is called "Wan Duoshanghan" in Dai language, meaning sending the old. At this time, people have to tidy up their houses, clean up, and prepare for the annual dinner 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, it is "empty day"; the third day is the new year's day, called "MaiPaYa evening horse" people used to regard this day as "the king of the day to come"; The fourth day is New Year's Day, called "Ba net Ma", respect for the first year, people regard this day as the most beautiful, the most auspicious days. Early in the morning of the festival, the Dai men, women and children dressed in festive costumes, picking water, first to the Buddhist temple bath, and then began to splash each other, wishing each other good luck, happiness and health. People dance while calling out "Water! Water! Water!" The sound of drums and gongs resonates through the sky, and the blessed water splashes everywhere, the scene is really very spectacular.

Every Water Festival, the Dai people to the nearby mountains to collect some flowers and leaves, to the festival day, the Dai men, women and children will wear festive dress, picking the water, the first to the Buddhist temple to bathe in the Buddha, and then take the collection of flowers and leaves dipped in the water, began to splash each other, you splash me, I splash you, a flower bloomed in the air, it symbolizes good luck, happiness, health, young people in the hands of the bright crystal droplets, also symbolizes the sweet love. It symbolizes good luck, happiness and health, and the bright crystal beads of water in the hands of young people also symbolize sweet love. We splash each other, splash, everywhere is the baptism of water, water blessing, water song. Duo Duohua string smile, the Water Festival has become a sea of joy.

The content of the Water Splashing Festival, in addition to splashing water, there is also catching pendulum, dragon boat racing, bathing Buddha, chanting sutras, dancing peacock dance, throwing bags, put high up, release the peacock lanterns and other customs.

Introduction to the Dai Water Festival

The Dai Water Festival, also known as the "Bathing Buddha Festival", the Dai language known as "Sangkan Bimai" (meaning New Year), the Dai people in the Dehong region of Xishuangbanna, the festival is also referred to as the "Shanghan" and "Shang key", both names are derived from the Sanskrit language, which means that the turnover, change and transfer of the sun has been in the twelve signs of the Zodiac to the beginning of the week to the new transition to a new year. The festival is celebrated by the Achang, Deang, Brown and Wa ethnic groups. The Water Festival is also celebrated in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The Water Splashing Festival is usually held in the middle of June on the Dai calendar (i.e., about ten days before and after the Qingming Festival on the lunar calendar), and is one of the grandest traditional festivals in Xishuangbanna. Its content includes folk activities, art performances, economic and trade exchanges and other categories, specific festival activities include water splashing, catching pendulum, dragon boat racing, Buddha bathing, chanting, Zhangha singing and peacock dance, white elephant dance performances and so on.

On May 20, 2006, the Dai Water Splashing Festival declared by Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.