April 14, 2024 is the Water Splashing Festival.
The Water Splashing Festival is the New Year's festival of China's Dai, Achang, Brown, Wa, De'ang and other ethnic minorities as well as certain ethnic groups in the Central and Southern Peninsula, and it is the grandest traditional festival of the year for the Dai people. The Chinese Dai festival is held in June and July of the Dai calendar, and is now fixed from April 13 to 15 of the Gregorian calendar. During the festival, people splash water on each other to bless, and hold activities such as worshiping Buddha, racing dragon boats, putting on high, and lighting Kongming lanterns.
The Water Splashing Festival is a comprehensive stage to show the traditional cultures of Dai water culture, music and dance culture, food culture, dress culture and folk veneration, etc. It is an important window to study the history of Dai, and has high academic value. The artistic performances such as Zhangha and White Elephant Dance displayed at the Water Splashing Festival can help to understand the national characteristics of the Dai people, who are aware of nature, love water and respect Buddha, and are gentle and calm.
Water Festival celebrations
1, song and dance activities
Seventy to eighty years old, down to seven or eight years old dolls, dressed in festive costumes, *** gathered in the village square, men and women, young and old, in a circle, and with the mangalong the elephant's foot drums dance. Some jump "Peacock Dance"; some jump "Yu La He"; some improvised, singing and dancing, some men jumping and drinking. Dai people in the Water Festival, like to form a queue, knocking the gong, beat up the elephant foot drum, collective dance "Yilaha" dance, go from door to door to pay tribute to the New Year, congratulations on a happy new year, all the best.
2, bathing Buddha
In the "Mai Day" (the first day), early in the morning, people will pick flowers and leaves to the Buddhist temple offerings, and carry to the water "bathing Buddha", that is, for the statue of the Buddha to wash the dust. It is also to pray to the gods to bless people with good health in the new year. After the "bathing Buddha", the collective mutual water splashing began. A group of young men and women with a variety of containers of water, out of the streets and alleys, chasing and playing, every person will splash.