The customs and folklore of the Dai people

1, folk customs

The Dai people taboo outsiders riding horses, cattle, picking burdens and disheveled hair into the cottage; into the Dai family bamboo building, to take off their shoes outside the door, and in the house to walk lightly; can not sit above the fire or across the fire, can not enter the owner's inner room, can not sit on the threshold; can not move the tripod on the fire, and can not use their feet to step on the fire; taboo in the home whistles, nail clipping ......

The wedding of the Dai people, known as the folk "gold yawn", containing the meaning of marriage feast. The wedding date can only be set in the annual "Open Door Festival" to "Close the Door Festival" (after December 15 of the Dai calendar, until September 15 of the following year).

The marriage ceremony is held at the bride's home during this period, when pigs and chickens are killed (some people also slaughter cows), and sumptuous banquets are prepared to invite friends and relatives and the village folks.

2. Local customs

The Dai people regard peacocks and elephants as auspicious objects, and like to live by the water, love cleanliness, often bathe, and women love to shampoo, so they are known as the "people of the water".

The Dai people have distinctive characteristics, love songs and dances, and the Dai dance is vivid, delicate and beautiful, and the most popular one is the "Peacock Dance", in which the beautiful dance posture and the emotion invested in the peacock's beautiful posture are shown to the fullest extent, and the peacock imitates the peacock in a perfect way, as if it brings people into the realm of poetry.

The Dai people are not only good at singing and dancing, but also have created a splendid cultural life. The Dai people are mainly known for the Dai Calendar, Dai Medicine and the Book of Songs.

Expanded Information:

Language, Writing and Calendar of the Dai People

The Dai also have their own language and writing. There are three major dialects such as Tai, Lanna and Siamese and several sub-dialects. The difference in pronunciation between the neighboring dialects is very small, but the gap increases as the spatial distance widens, but no matter where the dialects are spoken, they can be communicated in a simple way.

There are seven scripts: Siamese, Lancang, Lanna, Duan, Tuan, Na, and Ahong, all of which are derived from the Indian Brahmi alphabet and are written from left to right, with top-to-bottom line feeds, differing only in form and structure.

Nowadays, due to the formation of the modern concept of the state, Sukhothi (Thai) is used in all of Thailand, Lancang (Lao) is used in all of Laos, and the Dai in other areas use the scripts of the countries in which they live, and only a few people still use their own scripts.

There are two kinds of Dai calendars, namely, the Big Dai Calendar and the Small Dai Calendar. The Great Dai Calendar is the earliest calendar used by the Dai, which was created by the Dai forefathers on the basis of the Han lunar calendar, and nowadays only the Great Dai (Tai) people, who have a strong sense of national identity, still insist on using this calendar.

Therefore, it is called the "Great Dai Calendar". The small Dai calendar is actually the Burmese calendar, which was introduced into the Dai area from Burma. The small Dai (Tai) people are the first Dai people to accept this calendar, so it is called the "small Dai calendar".

Baidu Encyclopedia - The Dai People