English name: Water-Splashing Festival
Alias: Songkran Festival
Festival time: April 13th - April 16th
Type of festival: Traditional festival
Popular areas: Yunnan
Origin of the festival: Institutional setting
Festival activities: dragon boat rowing, bathing Buddha
The Water Splashing Festival is a traditional festival of the Dai ethnic group as well as Thai-speaking peoples and Southeast Asia. On that day, the people in Thailand, Laos, Burma, Cambodia and other countries, as well as overseas Thai settlements such as Kowloon City in Hong Kong and Zhonghe District in New Taipei City, Taiwan, get up early in the morning and bathe in Buddha's presence, after which they start celebrating the festival for several consecutive days. During the festival, people splash each other with pure water to pray for the washing away of the past year's misfortunes. The Water Splashing Festival is the New Year of the Dai people, which is equivalent to the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar and usually lasts for three to seven days.
The Water Splashing Festival is a comprehensive stage to show the traditional culture of the Dai people, such as water culture, music and dance culture, food culture, dress culture and folk veneration, etc. It is an important window to study the history of the Dai people, 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, such as their understanding of nature, love of water and respect for Buddha, and gentleness and serenity. At the same time, the Water Splashing Festival is also an important link to strengthen the unity of the people of all ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna, which plays a positive role in promoting the development of social, economic and cultural development of Xishuangbanna and Southeast Asian countries through friendly cooperation and exchanges.
On May 20, 2006, the folklore was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.