Dai Nationality
The Dai Nationality calls itself "Dai", which means "freedom" or "people". According to the distribution area, there are "Dai Na", "Dai Ya", "Dai Biao" and so on. The Dai people are mainly distributed in the southwest of Yunnan Province, and live in four areas: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County and Menglian Dai and Lahu Autonomous County. The rest of the Dai people live scattered in Lincang and Lancang , Xinping, Yuanjiang, Yuanyang, Jinping, Jingdong, Jinggu and other counties. In addition, a small number of Dai people live in Huaping, Dayao and Luquan along the Jinsha River, as well as Huili and Yanbian in Sichuan. Only a small number of Dai people live in the inland areas of Yunnan Province, and most of them are distributed in border areas. , whose residences border Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and other countries.
The Dai language belongs to the Zhuang-Dai branch of the Zhuang-Dong language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family. There are three main dialects: Dehong, Xishuangbanna and Jinping. Dai script is derived from the pinyin script of the Sanskrit alphabet. After improvements in the 1950s, two Dai scripts, Xishuangbanna and Dehong, are now in common use. Dai Festivals Traditional festivals are rich and colorful. There are festivals every month for 12 months a year, which can be said to be a major landscape of Dai culture. Among the traditional ethnic festivals, the Water Splashing Festival, the Entering Wa Festival and the Chuwa Festival are the most grand. The traditional festivals of the Dai people in Dehong are based on the Dai calendar, and the festival forms are mostly the same. Different regions and different eras have slightly different festival details. In the Dehong Dai area, all festival-related activities can be called "pendulum". The "pendulum" of the Dai people varies in time and content, as well as in scale and number of people. In the past, many "pendulum" activities had a strong religious flavor. "Pudu" was divided into "big pendulum" held by monks or chieftains, "big pendulum" attended by the masses, and "small pendulum" held by private individuals. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Dai people changed their customs and turned the "Pudu" into a festival event for material exchange and cultural exchange. Especially after the reform and opening up, the Dai people's "Pudu" became an event to expand opening to the outside world and accelerate the economic development and spiritual development of ethnic minority areas. A grand event to build civilization and promote national harmony and prosperity. The relatively large-scale "pendulum" is usually held in late autumn. Dai people's large-scale gatherings always number in the tens of thousands. Mangshi's peaceful and sheltered "Puyang" lasted for several days and nights. Crowds came and went on the display, and "Yang-gapping competitions" were held between villages. There were movies and exciting cultural programs at night. The field is immersed in the joy of the festival. The Dai people's exhibitions are usually located in the squares of towns or villages. There are many stalls and a variety of products, which is dazzling and dizzying. There are various local handicrafts, ethnic food, Dai silver jewelry, tube handkerchiefs, tube skirts and various agricultural and sideline products, as well as countless colorful snacks and daily necessities made in Thailand and Myanmar. The most attractive thing on the stage is the various entertainment activities rich in local ethnic characteristics, especially Dai opera. As soon as the gongs and drums are heard, the crowd will immediately come to the stage to enjoy their own national opera. In addition, local ethnic cultural and artistic activities such as the Dai ethnic group's "Twelve Horses" and "Gayang Dance" were also held on the stage. The scene was grand and exciting. Young men and women of the Dai ethnic group also use the parade to find their spouses, and the parade becomes a place for them to pursue their partners. They use the parade to fall in love and find their sweethearts. Dai New Year Festival (Dai New Year Festival)
The Dai New Year Festival is the January Festival, which is called "Puo Jing" in Dai language and is a traditional festival of the Dai people. It is called "Puigating" in Buddhist language. The first day of the first month of the Dai calendar (same as the first day of the tenth month of the Han lunar calendar) is the first day of the Dai calendar year. In ancient times, the first horse day of this month was regarded as New Year's Day. During this festival, the Dai people have the custom of keeping the year old. In the old days, it was mainly the feudal lord chieftain or the leader of the village. To stay up late, an adult firewood is usually burned in the fire pit of the main house, preferably a tree stump that can burn for three days and three nights without being extinguished. The Dai people also do other "pendulum" activities to celebrate the New Year. Such as "Puigating" (Kasaya Festival), "Puiling Guangmu Sai" (Puiling Sand Tower Festival), etc. This festival is mainly popular in the Dehong Dai area. The Dai people in Longchuan, Ruili, Mangshi and other places still retain the tradition of this festival. In the past, local Dai rulers usually presided over festival ceremonies. The festival begins on the evening of December 30 in the Dai calendar. On this night, young men and women of the Dai ethnic group gathered together to welcome the New Year by beating gongs and drums, and lit blazing bonfires with dry wood.
Everyone talked and laughed, and after beating gongs and drums for a while, they stopped playing drums and laughing, and the whole place was silent. Four or five minutes later, a prestigious Dai elder announced in public: The old year is over, the new year is coming, and the people are free from disease. No disasters, happiness and auspiciousness; let the ninety-six kinds of diseases stay away from us like being blown away by the wind; let us only have good things and no bad things; let our place be prosperous, rich and beautiful. Then the gongs and drums were beaten, and it was very lively. The next day is the first day of the New Year. Competitions and dancing activities such as martial arts, shooting, horse racing, running, drumming, and pebble playing are held in various places. The winners are rewarded and receive new honorary titles. At the same time, Dai villages visit each other, people visit relatives and friends, and entertain guests. It is said that these celebration methods were forced to stop at the end of the Qing Dynasty, but have been restored and improved in modern times. With the popularity of folk Buddhist beliefs, this festival has strengthened a Buddhist ritual activity in many Dai areas, namely the "Puigating" mentioned above. With the widespread spread of Theravada Buddhism in the Dehong Dai area, during the New Year's Day in January of the Dai calendar, in addition to the New Year celebrations, activities such as "Putting up the Gating Pavilion", namely the Kasaya Festival and the Sand Pagoda Festival, are also strengthened. According to legend, after Sakyamuni became a Buddha, his aunt Guonami spent a day and night on January 15th in the Dai calendar to celebrate the Kasaya Festival by twisting, spinning, weaving, bleaching and dyeing. , sewed it into a red-yellow cassock and gave it to Sakyamuni. She was inspired by the Buddha and became the first female monk, and later attained the status of Arhat. From then on, people held the "Puigating", that is, the Kasaya Festival, in the first month of the Dai calendar. On this day, groups or individuals put pre-prepared cassocks on the Buddha statues in Buddhist temples and give them to monks and novices in order to achieve the fruit of spiritual practice as soon as possible. In the "Putting up Gating Pavilion" activity, 1,000 sand towers and 1,000 candles are lit to wish for good luck in life, to light up the heart, and to realize the right path. This Buddhist ritual is called the Sand Pagoda Festival.
The Dai People’s New Rice Tasting Festival
In the second month of the Dai calendar (meaning “Lenggan” in Dai language), the Dai people put the threshed and washed rice into their barns, and every Dai household chooses an auspicious day. Sacrifice Buhuanhao and Yahuanhao (Grandpa and Grandma the Grain God) and taste the new rice. This is the New Rice Tasting Festival of the Dai people, a traditional festival of the Dai people. Regarding the origin of the Dai People's New Rice Tasting Festival, there is a legend among the people: In a long time ago, the rice in the Dai people grew ears from the roots to the tips. Therefore, there is a lot of food in the Dai people's area, and they can't finish it in ten years. When there is too much food, the Dai people do not cherish it and waste it at will, throwing it away indiscriminately. They also pounded the grain into cakes and made drums to serve as benches for people to sit on. The gods were angry when they saw people wasting food so much. During the autumn harvest, the gods collected all the grain seeds. This year, people had no food to eat, so they had to go to the mountains to pick wild fruits and vegetables to satisfy their hunger. The dog couldn't eat the wild fruits and vegetables, so he was so hungry that he looked up at the sky and cried miserably. The cry shocked the gods, who took pity on the dogs and quietly dropped a few ears of millet for the dogs to eat. The dropped ears were snatched away by people. People were reluctant to eat it, so they kept it as grain seeds and planted it year after year. Only when the amount was large, people began to eat it. This year, as soon as the new grain comes on stage, people will pound new rice to worship the heaven and the earth, and make rice balls to feed the dogs. Then in each village, men, women, old and young sit around the table to taste the new rice. The old people warned the young people to cherish food and feed the dogs with every meal. Because without the crying of dogs to move the gods, there would be no grain seeds in the world. From then on, a simple ceremony was held every year when new rice was eaten for the first time. In this way, the annual New Rice Tasting Festival has been carried out to this day. During the New Rice Festival, the elders of the Dai family carry offerings to the fields to offer sacrifices to the God of Grain, invite the God of Grain to come home, and ask him to bless the grains planted in the coming year so that they will not rot, be eaten by insects and rats, and have a good harvest. Every household prepares delicacies and invites relatives and friends to their homes to taste sumptuous Dai dishes and celebrate the harvest with each other. With the development of modern science and technology, the advancement of agricultural production technology, the improvement of farmers' scientific quality, and the impact of modern lifestyles, this festival has gradually faded out of people's lives, and many Dai areas no longer have this festival. Dai People’s Field Patrol Festival
A traditional folk festival of the Dai people in Lvchun area of ??Yunnan Province, held every year on the 13th day of the first lunar month.
The purpose of patrolling the fields is to welcome the spring. During the festival, Dai people all wear festive costumes, gather under the large green trees with lush branches and leaves, and form a wreath shape. Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, the celebration of the Dai people began. The singers sang and danced a traditional dance.
At noon, when the climax was reached, after everyone had enjoyed themselves, a respected old man announced the start of the "Tour Dam", and the celebration team formed an orderly procession, led by eight flag-bearers, followed by blowers. With suonas, gongs and drums, firecrackers and muskets fired, people left the village and walked towards Tianba. The Dai Egg Festival
is a traditional festival for Dai children, held every year on the 10th day of the second lunar month.
On the day of the festival, every child of the Dai family has a small pocket hanging on his chest, which contains several cooked eggs dyed in yellow, red, green, purple and other colors. They went in groups to play in the shade of the trees next to the village or by the river. Afterwards, they had dinner together, eating the whites of the eggs they brought, and leaving the yolks to take home to their parents or brothers. Show respect for your parents or elder brothers. The Sand-Piling Festival of the Dai Nationality
A traditional folk festival of the Dai people in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is held in mid-April of the lunar calendar every year. The festival lasts three days.
Before the festival, every Dai family goes to the riverside to dig a basket of clean sand that has not been trampled by people, cattle or horses. During the festival, people gather together and pour out the prepared sand in turn. The most prestigious elder in the village divides the sand into two large piles and several small piles, and then pats it into a cone shape. Small sand piles surround large sand piles. Then they inserted the collected pine branches into the sand pile to symbolize the evergreen people in the village; they also collected monan rock flowers and wrapped them around the fence made of pine and bamboo, and then planted a pleasant banana tree to symbolize the immortality of the people in the village. I wish everyone’s destiny is as stable as the roots of banana trees, and I hope that next year’s harvest will be as fruitful as piles of sand. After everything was finished, the old man poured clean water onto the sand pile to show that the drought demon would be driven away, and the weather would be smooth and the grains would be harvested. In the evening, brothers from nearby Yi, Hani and other ethnic groups came to congratulate them. The elders of the Dai ethnic group welcomed the distinguished guests into the village and toasted them with wine and tea. Afterwards, the entire Dai village and their guests danced and sang to the beat of a foot drum. Bopa of the Dai people
In Dai language, it means becoming a monk. It is a religious festival of the Dai people and is held every year in April or August of the Dai calendar.
At that time, "Ke Yong", who is a preparatory monk in the Buddhist temple, invites the godfather "Bo Wo", and the godfather prepares for him the yellow cassock, small round hat and all the supplies needed for becoming a monk. After a congratulatory ceremony was held at the godfather's house, he was sent to the Buddhist temple, where he recited scriptures and was ordained as a monk. Sending Ke Yong into the temple is very particular, either on horseback or on someone's back. Dai Nationality Water Splashing Festival
Also known as "Lenghe Shanghan". In Dai language, it means June New Year or Dai New Year, a traditional festival of the Dai people in Yunnan Province. It is usually held in mid-June of the Dai calendar.
There is a legend about the Water Splashing Festival: In ancient times, there was a demon king who did many evil things. People hated him and tried many ways to kill him. Later, the devil snatched seven girls to be his wives. The clever seventh girl learned from the devil's mouth his fatal weakness, that is, she could use the devil's hair to strangle his neck to kill him. The seventh girl took advantage of the devil's sleep, pulled out his hair and strangled his neck, and the devil's head rolled down. But as soon as the head fell to the ground, the ground caught fire. As soon as the girl picked up the head, the fire was extinguished. In order to prevent the Songkran fire from burning, she and her six sisters took turns holding the devil's head, changing it every year. Every year when there is a replacement, people pour water on the girl holding her head to wash away the blood on her body and the fatigue of the year, so as to eliminate disasters in the new year. Since then, the Water Splashing Festival has been formed.
The Dai Water Splashing Festival lasts for three to four days. The first day is called "Whisuo Sangkan" in Dai language, which means sending off the day. On this day, Dai people go to the temple to worship Buddha and build three or five pagoda-shaped piles of sand in the temple, about three or four feet high. Eight bamboo branches wrapped with colored paper are inserted into the top of the temple. People sit around and listen to the chanting. and historical legends. Some Dai young men and women went up the mountain to pick flowers for flower houses. At noon, the women used water to wash the dust off the Buddha statues. After the ceremony, the water splashing began, and the Dai people chased and played. The Dai people believe that this water is auspicious and can ward off disasters and diseases. So I'm happy even if I'm soaked to the skin. The last day of the festival is called "Whiba Wima" in Dai language, which means New Year's Day. The one or two days in between are empty days between two years. In addition to piles of sand and splashing water, traditional entertainment projects such as bag throwing, dragon boat racing, flying high risers, and Kongming lanterns are also held during the festival. Dai people's massage therapy
The traditional festival of the Dai people in Yunnan Province is also a religious festival. It is usually held in September of the Dai calendar.
At that time, every household of the Dai people will make a "beating fence" (a kind of sparse bamboo fence), insert it into the corner of the field with a wooden stick, or thread it with a straw rope. Hang it around the barn or main building while chanting scripture. According to folklore, "treatment" of gallbladder can bless people with adequate food and clothing, and safety for humans and animals. Ganmo of the Dai people
In Dai language, it means "sacrifice to the dragon". It is a traditional festival of the Dai people in Yunnan Province and is also a folk religious festival. It is held every year in the sixth month of the lunar calendar.
This festival is held to drive away pests, welcome rice planting and pray for a good harvest. During the festival, the entire Dai village raises funds to kill a cow, piglets and chickens. After placing the sacrifices, a sacrificial ceremony is held. Dai people who come to participate in the sacrifice must bring their own rice. During the festival, people stop working for one to three days. During this period, all intersections must be blocked and people are not allowed to go in or out, so as not to offend the gods and bring disaster. Dai Nationality Huanglu Festival
Also known as "Huanglu Festival", it is a traditional festival of the Dai people in Yunnan Province. It is held every year after September 15th in the Dai calendar, and the festival lasts four to five days.
Before the festival, according to regulations, the order of each "display" must be arranged first. One place is changed every day, and whichever village it is its turn is the host of the festival, responsible for entertaining people from all over the district. Food and accommodation for village guests. During the festival, the Dai people hold a grand dance elephant parade. At that time, the gongs and drums honor guard will be arranged in a pictographic formation to show off the leader of the procession. They will be tied with bamboo strips and a colorfully painted elephant will be the center of the procession. The elephant dancer lies on his back in the curtain under the elephant's belly and performs elephant tricks. The base of the elephant is carried by four to eight people, surrounded by gongs, and performs around the arena. Dai people's Haowasa
In Dai language, it means Close-Door Festival. The traditional festival of the Dai people in Yunnan Province is a religious festival. It starts on September 15th every year and lasts for three months and ends in December.
During the festival, all Dai villages will hold Buddha worship ceremonies. During the festival, people have a small meal every seven days, and there is a big meal in the middle. The Buddha and the monks spend three days and three nights reciting scriptures. The believers in the village go to the Buddhist temple to listen and repent. According to the custom of the Dai people, this period is the busy farming season, so all Dai men, women and children, old and young, gather together to go through childbirth. Young people can fall in love, but they are not allowed to get married or go out to avoid affecting production.
After three months of hard work, on the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month in the Dai calendar, the rice is harvested and the Close-Door Festival comes to an end. This day is also the beginning of the Open Door Festival.
From the day of the Open Door Festival, all taboos come to an end. Dai people went out of their homes to visit relatives and friends. The most interesting thing is "Chuan Girl", which the Dai people call "Chuan Bu Shao". The girls gathered in the courtyard in front of the main building to spin the spinning wheel. There was a small stool in front of each of them. After a while, young men will come here to find their special someone. Dai Nationality's Respect for the Aged Festival
Respect for the Aged Festival, known as "Bai Nuo Xie Butao" in Dai language, takes place in March of the Dai calendar and is a traditional festival of the Dai people. The third month of the Dai calendar is called "Lengsan" in Dai language. This period coincides with the dry and cold season in the Dehong Dai area. The Dai people believe that plowing the fields in March is to prepare for the next year's farming. In March, plowing the fields can The sun will loosen and kill the winter pests in the soil, so the crops will grow well next year. Dai men feed the cattle at night and go to the plowboard fields early in the morning through the frost that has not yet melted. Dai women prepare and pickle the next year's new year's goods and pickles at home. In the past, this month was also the month of respecting the elderly for the Dai people. Young people in the village and newly married couples brought gifts such as cakes and fruits to greet the elderly and asked them about their welfare. Women also helped the elderly with some housework. Before leaving, everyone should wish the old people happiness and good health. The respected old people also pray to the young people with good blessings, such as honoring their parents, having good sons and daughters, growing old together as husband and wife, and having a happy family, etc. This makes the young people happy and encouraged. . This tradition is passed down from generation to generation, influencing each other from generation to generation, forming a good atmosphere of loving and respecting the elderly in society. It is a good custom and social ethics of Dai family and social life, which plays a positive role in consolidating family harmony and maintaining social order and stability. It is difficult to find traces of this traditional festival of the Dai people today, and the social customs contained in it have gradually disappeared. The Dragon Boat Festival of the Dai Nationality
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Zongzi Festival, is influenced by Han culture and has the same time as the Han people. It is a festival of the Han people and the Dai people. On the day of the festival, every Dai household makes rice dumplings. There are two types of rice dumplings: white and black.
The method of making white rice dumplings is: wash the glutinous rice, mix in an appropriate amount of lard, star anise, grass fruit and other spices, and some also add red beans. Put a piece of pork in the center of the rice dumplings, wrap it with rice dumpling leaves and soak it in water. , and then cooked; the method of making black rice dumplings is: burn fresh thatch into ashes, put the hot grass ashes and glutinous rice into a pot, let the grass ashes dye the glutinous rice black, use a dustpan to remove the ashes, and then put in and The same ingredients are used to make white rice dumplings, and the soaking and cooking methods are the same as white rice dumplings. After the rice dumplings are cooked, the Dai people first take them to the main hall to offer sacrifices to the spirits of their ancestors and ask for blessings. Dai people's Paigangwa
In November of the Dai calendar (September in the Gregorian calendar), it is called "Lengxiye" in Dai language and is a traditional festival of the Dai people. This season is between entering and exiting the valley, and some of the Dai people’s new grains come on stage. During the "Puanggangwa" ceremony, in addition to the offerings or scriptures prepared by the faithful men and women, new rice is used to worship the Buddha. Everyone wears costumes and brings flowers, candles and incense. , happily entered the Buddhist temple amidst the sound of gongs and drums, and offered offerings, mainly praying that people would not suffer from hunger. This is also called the "Zhagar ceremony", which is the gift of charity. At the same time, the Dai people contributed food to the Daqing tree, tied it with cotton ropes several times, and supported it on the trunk with reeds and bamboos, praying that the Dai village and the villagers would prosper and live longer, and that like the Daqing tree, it would be perennial in all seasons. green. Then people gathered together for dinner in the Buddhist temple. Dai clothing
Dai women can spin and weave, and they all make their own clothes. Dai men in Xishuangbanna wear collarless white coats with double breasts, white or black long trousers, and blankets when the weather is cold. They often wear crimson, white or cyan cloth wrapped around their heads, and some wear woolen hats. When they go out to show off, they carry an umbrella and carry a "tongbang" on their back. The clothing of Dai women is famous for its beauty and elegance, with outstanding national characteristics and varies from place to place; women in Xishuangbanna often wear white, crimson or light green tight-fitting vests, and large-breasted or double-breasted collarless, white, or crimson blouses. The sleeves and waist are very narrow, the hem is wide, unbuttoned, and tied together with cloth belts; the lower body wears a tube skirt that is long enough to cover the feet, mostly brown, and likes to use a silver belt. Women in other regions also have their own characteristics. Dai Architecture
The bamboo house where the Dai people live is a kind of gantry-style building. The bamboo building is approximately square, supported by dozens of large bamboos, with suspended floors; the roof is covered with thatch rows, and the bamboo walls have large gaps for ventilation and light transmission. The slopes on both sides of the roof are very large, forming an "A" shape. The bamboo building is divided into two floors. People live on the upper floor, and livestock are raised and sundries are piled downstairs. It is also a place for pounding rice and weaving cloth. Food customs of the Dai people
The Dai people mainly plant rice, have a relatively complete farming system, and have sophisticated farming techniques. The Dai area is famous for its rice production, so rice is the main food eaten everywhere. Rice is eaten for three meals a day. The Dai people in Dehong area eat japonica rice as their staple food, while the Dai people in Xishuangbanna, Menglian, Yuanjiang, Xinping, Gengma and other places eat glutinous rice as their staple food. The japonica rice and glutinous rice produced by the Dai people are not only large in grain size, but also rich in oil, and the viscosity of the glutinous rice is also relatively high.
The non-staple food of the Dai people mainly includes meat such as pig, beef, chicken, and duck. Their unique way of eating is to eat sour meat and "chopped raw". The method of making sour pork is very simple. Cut the fresh meat into thin slices, add salt, pepper and other seasonings, put it in a clay pot and seal it. It will be ready to eat after a few days. It tastes sour and the meat is tender. Dai cuisine specializes in sauerkraut. In addition, aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, crab, snails, and eel, as well as vegetables such as melons, beans, cabbage, radish, green vegetables, and eggplants are also indispensable non-staple foods for the Dai people.
Chewing betel nut is the most common hobby of the Dai people in various places, and it is also used to entertain guests.
The "Pu'er tea" of the Dai people is well-known at home and abroad. The tea-making industry has advanced equipment. In recent years, it has also successfully developed subtropical cash crops such as rubber. Dai Calendar
The Dai people have their own unique calendar. The era difference between the Dai calendar and the Gregorian calendar is 638 years, that is, 639 in the Gregorian calendar is the first year of the Dai calendar. The year in the Dai calendar is the solar calendar year, but the month is the lunar calendar month. The Dai calendar is divided into three seasons, the cold season from January to April, the hot season from May to August, and the rainy season from September to December. Dai Dance
Dai dance is graceful and tranquil, with implicit emotions, rich hand movements, and sculptural postures. All joints of the limbs and torso are required to bend, forming a unique "three bends" shape.
The peacock dance is called "Jialuoyong", "Jialangluo" and "Fengnuo" in Dai language, which is translated as "dancing peacock" or "dancing princess bird", collectively called peacock dance.