Festivals of Ethnic Minorities in China Essay 400 Words

The Water Splashing Festival is the grandest festival of the Dai ethnic group, and also the most influential and attended festival among the ethnic minority festivals in Yunnan. The festival is the new year of the Dai calendar, equivalent to the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar, and the festival usually lasts three to seven days. The first day is called "Mai Day" in Dai language, which is similar to the New Year's Eve of the lunar calendar; the second day is called "Worry Day" in Dai language (Empty Day); and the third day is the New Year, which is called "Aba Net Ma", and is actually the first day of the year, which is considered as the best and the most auspicious day. The third day is the New Year, called "BaNaMa", which is the first day of the year, and people regard this day as the most beautiful and auspicious. Early in the morning of the festival, the Dai men, women and children dressed in festive costumes, picking water, first to the Buddhist temple to bathe in the Buddha, and then began to splash each other, wishing each other good luck, happiness and health. People dance while shouting "Water! Water! Water!"

During the Water Splashing Festival, the Dai youth like to go to the forest clearing to do the game of throwing bags. Flower bag made of beautiful flower cloth, filled with cotton paper, cotton seeds, etc., four corners and the center of the five flower spikes, is a token of love, young men and women through the bag, catch the bag, get acquainted with each other. And so the girl consciously let the young man can not catch lost, the young man will be ready to give the girl gifts, both left the crowd to the secluded place to talk about love to go.

The Water Splashing Festival was once a religious ceremony of Indian Brahminism, which was later absorbed by Buddhism and introduced to the Dai region of Yunnan through Myanmar, around the end of the thirteenth century to the beginning of the fourteenth century, with a history of 700 years. With the influence of Theravada Buddhism in the Dai area, the water festival is also increasingly wide

The Water Festival is an annual traditional festival of the Dai people (April 13 to 15 on the solar calendar). In Dai language, it is called "Lenghe Shanghan", which means "June New Year" or "Dai New Year". In fact, the Water Festival is the New Year's Day of the Dai calendar, because the Dai calendar, the new year is counted from the beginning of June.

But there are two kinds of legends about the origins of the Water Festival. A long time ago, an unscrupulous devil king took over the beautiful and rich Xishuangbanna, and snatched seven beautiful girls to be his wife. The girls were filled with hatred and planned how to kill the devil king. One night, the youngest girl Nongxiang with the best meat and wine, the devil king drunk, so that he revealed his fatal weakness. It turned out that the king was not afraid of the world, not afraid of the devil, is afraid of his hair strangling their necks, vigilant little girl carefully pulled off the king of a red hair, strangling his neck. Sure enough, the Demon King's head fell off and turned into a ball of fire, rolling to wherever the evil fire spread to. The bamboo buildings were burned down and the crops were scorched. In order to extinguish the evil fire, the little girl grabbed the head of the devil king, and the other six girls took turns to keep pouring water on it, and finally extinguished the evil fire in the sixth month of the Dai calendar. The townspeople began to live in peace and happiness. From then on, there was the custom of splashing water in every year. Now, the custom of splashing water has actually become a form of mutual blessing. In the view of the Dai people, water is a symbol of holiness, beauty and light. With water in the world, everything can grow, and water is the god of life.

And the story of the Dai Water Festival in Lijiang's Huaping area is unique. The Dai people here are the northernmost Dai tribe in China and even in Asia in terms of latitude. Their story is this:

Legend has it that a long time ago, the Jinsha River side of a Dai village living in the depths of the dense forest, because of the forest fire, the villagers are in danger of being engulfed in flames, a Dai man named Li Liang, in order to protect the village, undaunted by the dangers of the fire net, picking buckets of water from the Jinsha River, splashing fire, after a day and a night of hard work, the fire is finally extinguished, the villagers saved, Li Liang because of the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire, the fire. Villagers were saved, Li Liang because of exhaustion sweating dry, thirsty on the hill. The villagers called the water to Li Liang to quench their thirst, but after drinking 99 picks of water can not quench their thirst, and then, Li Liang jumped headlong into the river, turned into a giant dragon, down the river and go. 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 when the crowds walk 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, and has become the festival of the Dai people to celebrate the old and welcome the new, and to bless the auspicious festival - the Water Festival.

When the Water Splashing Festival comes, the Dai people will be busy killing pigs, chickens, brewing wine, and making a lot of "huonosuo" (rice cakes) and many kinds of poop made of glutinous rice, which will be eaten during the festival.

Activities of the Water Splashing Festival

The Water Splashing Festival lasts for three days. On the first day, dragon boats are rowed, gaoshengs are released, and cultural performances are held; on the second day, water is splashed; and on the third day, young men and women are together for bag throwing and exchange of materials.

The festival is generally held on the banks of the Lancang River in the beautiful scenery. When the morning sun reflects the red "City of Dawn", people of all ethnic groups will be dressed in costumes, from all directions converge here. A call, a branch of high rise into the air, straight through the clouds, a dragon boat arrow, straight to the other side. At this time, ten million golden bamboo "(on the bamboo under the must)" together blowing, (hydrazinium) gongs, elephant foot drums sounded together, both sides of the Lancang River suddenly turned into a sea of joy.

When the water splashing just started, the polite Dai girls said words of blessing while using bamboo leaves, branches dipped in the pot of water to each other sprinkled. "Water flowers put, Dai crazy", to the climax, people with copper bowl, basin, and even buckets of water, in the streets and alleys, playful chase, only feel, face to face with the water, behind the water, splashed to the fullest, one from head to toe soaked, but people are happy, full of laughter everywhere. After a period of water baptism, people form a circle and dance to the accompaniment of gongs and drums, regardless of ethnicity, age or occupation. When people are excited, they burst into cheers of "Shui, Shui, Shui". Some men danced and drank, drunk, all night long.

"Throwing bags" is the most romantic, often unmarried Dai young people's exclusive game. "Packet" is a token of love, by the Dai girls with flower cloth carefully made, loaded with cotton seeds, packet corners are decorated with colorful flower spikes. Throwing the bag, in the green grass on the lawn, men and women stand in a row, first by the Dai girl will throw the bag to the young man, the young man and then thrown to the girl, and through this to pass the feelings.