The Legend of Water Splashing Festival
In ancient times, the place where the Dai people lived suffered a disaster. There was no rain in summer, no wind in spring, no sunshine in autumn, and obscene rain in winter. Need to clear not clear, need to rain not rain, the four seasons are confused, crops can not be planted, the fields are deserted, people and animals were infected, mankind is facing a catastrophe. The man known as Paya Night, seeing such a scene, resolved to go to Heaven to find out the reason and report to the King of Heaven, Indra Tila. He made wings of four wooden planks, rose up into the air, rushed into the heavenly court, and reported the disaster on earth to the king of heaven, Indatila.
Indatila investigated and learned that it was the god of heaven in charge of wind, thunder, lightning, rain, sunshine, and cloudy sky, Huanmadan Dharaja, who ignored Huanmadan Dharaja's rule of three seasons of drought, rain, and cold, and poured water to intentionally cause chaos by virtue of his vast magical powers. And this Huanma point Dala Chad, magic skill, all the gods are helpless against him. In order to punish the gods, Indatila dressed up as a handsome boy, to Huma point Dharaja home, by Huma point Dharaja long confined in the palace of the seven daughters, the handsome young man fell in love at first sight.
The 7 daughters are determined to save mankind. In the face of the daughters, the cupping of the horse point Darazha finally revealed the secret, the most fearful is made of their own hair "bow Sai Zai" ("bow" for the bow, "Sai" for the strings, "Zai" for the heart, meaning "heart strings bow"). After the girls found out the secret, their father drunk, took the opportunity to cut off a handful of his hair, made a "bow Sai Zai", they just put the bowstring against the neck of the holding Ma point Dala Zha, his head will fall abruptly.
However, the head of the point of Dharaja is only a magic head, landing head, fire in the sky. 7 daughters jumped to the head in the arms, the magic fire suddenly extinguished. In order to extinguish the fire, the 7 girls had to hold the head in their arms and keep rotating until the head rotted. Sisters every rotation, they will throw water on each other once to rinse the body stains, to eliminate the stench. After the death of Huma Point Dalacha, Shurupa's Maha Huan rewrote the calendar and ruled over the wind and rain, so that the earth's wind and rain are smooth and the people live in peace and contentment.
The revised calendar was announced by Paya late in the sixth month of the Dai calendar dream to his father. Therefore, the Dai people take the June of the announcement of the new calendar as the annual festival to celebrate the old and welcome the new. People celebrate the New Year by splashing water on each other as a way of forgetting the seven kind-hearted girls who killed their relatives, and to drive away evil spirits and seek good luck and good fortune has been passed down to this day.
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Celebrations
When the Water Splashing Festival arrives, the Dai people will be busy killing pigs, chickens, brewing wine, and making a lot of "hunoso" (rice cakes) and many kinds of poi made of glutinous rice, which will be eaten during the festival.
The Water Festival lasts three days: the first day is "Mai Day", similar to New Year's Eve in the lunar calendar, which in Dai language is called "Wan Duoshanghan", meaning to send the old. At this time, people have to tidy up the house, cleaning, preparing the annual meal and the festival between the dragon boat, put high up, cultural performances and other activities.
The next day is called "annoying day", "annoying" means "empty", according to the custom of this day is neither the year before, nor after the year, so it is "Empty Day", this day is usually held to splash water activities to commemorate the people to eliminate harm to the heavenly maiden, to the holy water to eliminate disasters, wishing each other peace and happiness; the third day is called "MaiPaYa late horse", allegedly this MaiPaYa late horse of the spirit of the return to earth with a new calendar day, people customary The third day is called "Maipaya evening horse", which is said to be the day when the spirit of Maipaya evening horse returns to earth with the new calendar.
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