Folk customs in Zhangzi County, Changzhi City

"A hundred miles of different winds, a thousand miles of different customs." Every place has different characteristics. Songkran Festival is the biggest festival of Dai people, and it is also the most influential festival with the largest number of participants in ethnic festivals. Songkran Festival is the Dai New Year, which is equivalent to the middle of April in Gregorian calendar. This festival usually lasts for 3 to 7 days. On the first day, the Dai language was called "Mairi", which was similar to the Chinese New Year's Eve. The next day is called "angry day" in Dai language, and the third day is the New Year, called "Bawangma", which is actually the beginning of a year. People think this day is the most beautiful and auspicious day. In the early morning of the festival, Dai men, women and children put on festive costumes and carried clear water. They first went to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha, and then began to splash water on each other to wish each other luck, happiness and health. People are dancing and shouting "water! Water! Water! " The sound of gongs and drums resounded through the sky, and the spray of blessings splashed everywhere. The scene is really spectacular, adding a lot of tension and joy to the festival.

The Songkran Festival lasts for three days. On the first day, rowing dragon boats, flying high and performing arts; Splash water the next day; On the third day, young men and women lost their bags together and exchanged materials.

At the beginning of water splashing, the polite Dai girl said a blessing, while soaking bamboo leaves and branches in the water in the basin and splashing each other. At the climax, people use copper bowls, washbasins and even buckets to hold water and play and chase in the streets. They only feel that the water in front of them and the water behind them are soaked from head to toe, but people are in high spirits and full of laughter everywhere. "Packet loss" is the most romantic, and it is often a special game for unmarried Dai youth. Treasure is a symbol of love. Made by Dai girls with cotton seeds, the four corners of the bag are decorated with colorful flowers. When the bag was lost, men and women stood in a row on the grassy lawn. First, the Dai girl threw the bag to the boy, and then the boy threw it to the girl to convey their feelings. In this way, flowers fly around, and finally the feelings communicate to a certain extent. The two sides quietly withdrew from the packet loss field and found a quiet place to whisper to each other.

The Songkran Festival usually lasts for three to five days in mid-April of Gregorian calendar and mid-June of Dai calendar. The first day is called "more than ten thousand miles", which means New Year's Eve, and the last day is called "eighty thousand horses", which means "the day when the king comes", which is New Year's Day. The middle is called "wrist brain", which means "empty sky". In addition to splashing water, there are also mass song and dance activities. Old people in their seventies and eighties put on holiday costumes and came to the village square. Men, women and children form a circle and dance with the drums.

There will also be activities such as packet loss during the Songkran Festival. Young men and women seek partners through packet loss and express their affection.

April 13 every year is the Songkran Festival in Thailand. Gan Song is Sanskrit, which means "the sun moves to Aries, which is the beginning of a new solar year". The Songkran Festival lasts for three days and is the hottest time of the year in Thailand. On the day of the festival, sand towers should be piled in the temple, colorful flags should be inserted and flowers should be presented to pray for a bumper harvest. In the evening, the perfume soaked in petals is sprinkled on the arms and backs of the elders to express their best wishes to the elders; Afterwards, the elders showered water on the heads of the younger generation to show their blessings.

In fact, the tradition of the Songkran Festival is not unique to Thailand. For example, neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia also celebrate this festival at the same time.