The customs and habits of the Dai people! more!

The Water-Splashing Festival is the most solemn festival of the Dai people. It is also the festival with the greatest influence and the largest number of participants among the ethnic minority festivals in Yunnan. The Water Splashing Festival is the Dai New Year, which is equivalent to mid-April in the Gregorian calendar. The festival generally lasts from 3 to 7 days. The first day is called "Mai Ri" in Dai language, which is similar to the New Year's Eve in the lunar calendar; the second day is called "Nai Ri" (empty day) in Dai language; the third day is the New Year, called "Bawangma", which is actually the beginning of the year. People regard this day as the most beautiful and auspicious day. In the early morning of the festival, Dai men, women and children put on their festive costumes, carry water, go to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha, and then start splashing water on each other to wish each other good luck, happiness and health. People danced and shouted "Water! Water! Water!", the sound of drums and gongs resounded through the sky, and the blessing water splashed everywhere. The scene was really spectacular.

During the Water-Splashing Festival, Dai youths like to play packet-throwing games in forest clearings. The flower bag is made of beautiful floral cloth, filled with tissue paper, cotton seeds, etc., and is decorated with five flower spikes on the four corners and in the center. It is a token of love. Young men and women get to know each other by throwing and receiving bags. After the girl consciously made the young man unable to catch up and lost, the young man gave the gift he had prepared to the girl, and they both left the crowd and went to a secluded place to fall in love.

Dragon boat racing will also be held during the Water Splashing Festival. The competition is held on the Lancang River. Groups of dragon boats draped in red and green, chopping the waves and moving forward bravely amid the sound of gongs and the shouts and whistles of "Hey, Hey, Hey," attract thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists to the Lancang River. The festival adds a lot of tension and joy to the atmosphere.

The Water Splashing Festival originated in India. It was once a religious ritual of Indian Brahmanism. It was later absorbed by Buddhism and introduced to the Dai area of ??Yunnan via Myanmar. The time was about the end of the 13th century to the beginning of the 14th century. , with a history of 700 years. With the increasing influence of Theravada Buddhism in the Dai area, the practice of Water Splashing Festival has become increasingly widespread. The Water Splashing Festival is a celebration of the Dai New Year, usually between April 13th and April 15th in the Gregorian calendar. At that time, people first go to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha, and then splash water on each other to express sincere blessings with splashing water. There was laughter and laughter everywhere, full of festive atmosphere.

Another eye-catching activity during the Water Splashing Festival is dragon boat racing, elephant foot dance and peacock dance. At that time, the third day of the Dai New Year was called "Maipaya Wanma" in Dai language, and the festive atmosphere reached its climax. People in festive costumes gathered on the banks of the Lancang and Ruili rivers to watch the dragon boat races. The activities of the Water Splashing Festival are rich in content, and other activities include flying high, cockfighting, peacock dance, etc. People are dressed in costumes and are beaming with joy, and the scene is extremely lively!

When the Water Splashing Festival comes, the Dai people are busy killing pigs , kill chickens, make wine, and make a lot of "Hinoso" (rice cakes) and various kinds of cakes made of glutinous rice to eat during the festival.

The Water Splashing Festival lasts for three days. On the first day, there were dragon boat rowing, high-flying and artistic performances; on the second day, water splashing; on the third day, young men and women threw bags and exchanged materials together.

The Water Splashing Festival is usually held on the banks of the beautiful Lancang River. When the morning light shines red on the "City of Dawn", people of all ethnic groups dress up in costumes and gather here from all directions. With a command, one after another soared into the sky, straight through the sky, and the dragon boats rushed straight to the other shore like arrows. At this time, thousands of golden bamboos played "(Bamboos above and below must be)" together, gongs and elephant drums were beaten together, and both sides of the Lancang River suddenly turned into a sea of ??joy.

When the water splashing just started, the polite Dai girl said blessing words while dipping bamboo leaves and branches into the water in the basin and sprinkling them on each other. "The water blooms and the Dai people go crazy", when it reaches its climax, people use copper bowls, washbasins, and even buckets to fill water, and play and chase in the streets and alleys. They only feel that the water in front of them and the water behind them are splashing to their heart's content. Everyone was soaked from head to toe, but people were in high spirits and there was laughter and laughter everywhere. After a period of water baptism, people gathered in a circle and danced gracefully to the accompaniment of gongs and elephant drums, regardless of nationality, age or occupation. When they were excited, people also burst into cheers of "water, water, water". Some men dance and drink at the same time, so drunk that they stay up all night.

"Pack Losing" is the most romantic game and is often a special game for unmarried young people of the Dai ethnic group. "Bao" is a token of love. It is carefully made of floral cloth by Dai girls and contains cotton seeds. The four corners of the bag are decorated with colorful flower spikes. When throwing bags, men and women stand in a row on the green lawn. The Dai girl first throws the bag to the young man, and the young man throws it to the girl, thereby conveying feelings. In this way, the flower bags flew back and forth, and finally the emotional exchange reached a certain level. The two parties quietly left the bag throwing place and found a quiet place to whisper together.

At the Water Splashing Festival, young people splashed water like silver flowers in full bloom.

Traditional festivals of Dai, Achang, Deang, Bulang, Wa and other ethnic groups. In Dai language, the New Year is called "Jingbi Mai" and the Water Splashing Festival is called "Hunan". Therefore, the Water Splashing Festival is a symbol of the transition between the old and the new in the Dai calendar.

The Water Splashing Festival usually takes place in mid-April in the Gregorian calendar and in June in the Dai calendar, lasting three to five days. The first day is called "Whiduosangli", which means New Year's Eve, and the last day is called "Whiba Wima", which means "the day the King of Days arrives" and is New Year's Day. The middle one is called "Wan Nao", which means "empty day". During every festival, activities such as splashing water, throwing bags, rowing dragon boats, flying high, worshiping Buddha, and chasing pendulums are carried out.

In the early morning of the first day of the festival, people gathered flowers and green leaves to offer offerings to the Buddhist temple, and piled sand to build four or five pagodas in the temple. Worldly beings sat around the pagodas, listening to the Buddha chanting sutras, and then placed the Buddha statues in the temple. After being carried to the courtyard, women from all over the village brought clear water to wash away the dust of the Buddha statue. After the ceremony in the Buddhist temple, the young men and women stopped splashing water on each other for fun, and the mass water-splashing activity began. People filled copper bowls, basins and even buckets with water, and rushed out of the streets and alleys, chasing the concubines and splashing water on everyone. Folks believe that this is auspicious water, a blessing water that can ward off disasters and diseases, so people pour it as much as they want. Regardless of the person who pours it or the person who is poured it, although they are soaked from head to toe, they are still very happy. I saw water flowers blooming in the crowd, forming rainbows under the reflection of the sun, and everywhere was filled with laughter and laughter.

In addition to splashing water, there are also mass singing and dancing activities. Elderly people in their 70s and 80s, and children as young as 78 years old, all dressed up in festive costumes, came to the village square, where men, women and children gathered in a circle and danced to the beats of gongs, elephant feet and drums. Some dance "Peacock Dance", some dance "Yulahe", and some improvise, singing and dancing at the same time, with graceful movements, distinctive rhythm and moving singing. When it jumps to high spirits, cheers of "water, water, water" may erupt, or it may end with the singing of "Yulaha, Yulaha". Some men drank while dancing, getting so drunk that they stayed up all night and even passed out drunk on the dance floor.