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.
During the Water Festival, there is also a dragon boat race. The competition is held on the Lancang River. A group of groups of red and green dragon boat in the "Hall Hall" in the sound of the gong and "Hi Hi Hi" shouts and whistles, chopping waves, bravely forward, thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists attracted to the Lancang River side, for the festival has added a lot of tension and joyful atmosphere.
The Water Splashing Festival originated in India, which used to be a religious ceremony of Indian Brahminism, and then absorbed by Buddhism and introduced to Yunnan Dai ethnic area through Myanmar, at 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 Southern Theravada Buddhism in the Dai area, the Water Splashing Festival has become more and more widespread. The Water Splashing Festival is a celebration of the Dai New Year, usually held between April 13 and April 15 of the solar calendar. At that time, people first go to the Buddhist temple to bathe in Buddha, and then splash water on each other, expressing sincere blessings with splashing water. The festival is full of laughter and festive atmosphere.
Another notable activity of the Water Splashing Festival is rowing dragon boats, dancing elephant foot drums and peacock dance. On the third day of the Dai New Year, which is called "Maipaya Evening Ma" in Dai language, the festival atmosphere reaches a climax. People dressed in festive costumes gathered on the banks of the Lancang River and the Ruili River to watch the dragon boat race. The Water Splashing Festival is rich in activities, other than the release of Gao Sheng, cockfighting, peacock dance, etc., people dressed in full costume, joyful, the scene is extremely enthusiastic!
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) as well as a variety of poop made of glutinous rice, which will be eaten during the festival.
The festival lasts three days. On the first day, dragon boats are rowed, high rises are released, and cultural performances are held; on the second day, water is splashed; and on the third day, young men and women engage in bag-throwing and exchanges 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, point of light gongs, elephant foot drums ringing, 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. "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 the hydrazinium gongs and elephant foot 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. When the bag is thrown, men and women stand in a row on the grassy lawn, and the Dai girl throws the bag to the young man, and the young man then throws it to the girl and uses it to pass on his feelings. In this way, the flower bag flying around, and finally the exchange of feelings to a certain extent, the two sides quietly out of the bag throwing field, looking for a quiet place to shoulder whispering to go.
The Water Festival, the youth of the end of the water sprinkler, as if the silver flowers blossomed.
The festival is a traditional festival of the Dai, Achang, De'ang, Brown and Wa ethnic groups. The Dai language called the New Year as "Jingbimai", the Water Festival as "Hounan". Therefore, the Water Splashing Festival is a symbol of the transition between the old and the new in the Dai calendar year.
The Water Festival is usually held in the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar, June in the Dai calendar, for three to five days. The first day is called "Waduosangli", meaning New Year's Eve, the last day is called "Waba Wamma", meaning "the day of the arrival of the king of the day", for the New Year's Day. In the middle of the day, it is called "Cu Brain", which means "empty day". Every festival, are to splash water, throwing bags, rowing dragon boats, put high up, worship Buddha, drive pendulum and other activities.
The first day of the festival early in the morning, people pick flowers and leaves to the Buddhist temple offerings, and in the temple courtyard pile of sand to build four or five towers, secular beings sitting around the tower, listening to the Buddha chanting scripture, and then lifted the Buddha statue to the courtyard, the whole walled village of women to bring the blue clarification of the water for the statue of the Buddha to wash the dust. Buddhist temple ceremony, young men and women quit each other splashing water as a play, so the mass of water activities began. People with copper bowl, basin to bucket water, crowded out of the streets and alleys, concubines chasing, everyone will splash. Folk believe that this is auspicious water, blessed water, can eliminate disasters and diseases, so people splash, pour as much as they like, whether they are splashing or being splashed, although from head to toe all wet, but still happy exception. Just see a flower in the crowd bloom, under the reflection of the sun to form a rainbow, everywhere full of laughter.
Besides the water splashing, there are also mass singing and dancing activities. From seventy to eighty years old, down to seven or eight-year-old dolls, dressed in holiday attire, to the village square, men, women and children in a circle, dancing to the mangalong elephant foot drums. Some jump "Peacock Dance", some jump "Yu La He", some improvised, singing and dancing, beautiful movement, rhythm, singing. Dance to the high spirits, or outbreaks of "water, water, water" cheers, or to "Yulaho, Yulaho" song ending. Some men drink while jumping, such as drunk, all night long, and even drunk on the dance floor.