"Water", in the Dai language means happiness, splashing a body of water, it will mean the four seasons of peace, a year of good fortune. The Water Splashing Festival is also the New Year of the Dai people, and people express their blessings by splashing water. In the minds of the Dai people, "water" is regarded as a holy substance. Water and the Dai people's daily life in all aspects have a close connection, and over time formed a closely related to water, and is regarded as a national tradition of water culture.
Introduction to the Festival of Water Splashing
The Dai people have their own calendar, with the sixty-three ninth year for the first year of the epoch. The year 1980 was the 1342nd year of the Dai calendar. The first day of the new year is called the "New Year's Day". The first day of the New Year is called "Paya Jurma", which means the arrival of the king of days. In order to welcome the New Year, people row dragon boats, splash water and set off fireworks. Therefore, this festival is also called Water Festival.
On the Water Splashing Festival, the Dai people have such a legend: a long time ago, where the Dai people live, there is a big devil, it did all the bad things, the people hate it. The devil also took 7 beautiful girls as his wives, and the 7 girls were determined to do away with the evil for the people. One day, when the demon was drunk, they used words to find out the secret of killing the demon, and killed the demon while it was sleeping. Unexpectedly, as soon as the demon's head hit the ground, the earth was ablaze with fire, and the fire would only be extinguished if the demon's head was lifted up. So seven girls, not afraid of blood stains and fatigue, took turns to hold up the devil's head and agreed to exchange it on the day of the Dai New Year every year. The Dai people held the Water Festival ceremony to commemorate these seven girls for the people to get rid of the evil and to express their gratitude and blessings.
What are the traditional activities of the Water Festival in Yunnan
1, song and dance activities
On the seventy to eighty years old, down to seven or eight years old dolls, dressed in festive attire, *** gathered in the village square, men and women, young and old, in a circle, and with the mango gongs and elephants foot drums dancing. 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. (Note: For more information on the songs and dances, please refer to
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2. Bathing in the Buddha's presence
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On the "Mai Day" (the first day), early in the morning, people will pick flowers and leaves to the Buddhist temple offerings, carry water to "bathe the Buddha" - 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 splashing of water on each other 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.
3, throw the bag
Water Festival is also unmarried young men and women looking for love, cultivation of happiness in the beautiful season. During the festival, Dai unmarried young men and women like to do "throw bag" game. The flower bag crafted with flower cloth in the girl's hand is a token of love. The "bag" is a token symbolizing love, crafted by the Dai girls with flower cloth, filled with cotton seeds, the corners of the bag 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 their feelings. Throw package day, the girls dress up as much as they can, and then hit the flower umbrella, carrying a small flower package to the "package field", and the young men on both sides, thirty to forty paces apart, began to each other to throw the flower package. If the young man can not catch the girl threw the flower package, you have to prepare the flowers in the girl's hair on the fly, the girl if you can not catch the young man threw the package, you have to put the flowers into the chest of the young man, so gradually selected each other, a romantic love story began.
4, Dragon Boat Race
Dragon Boat Race is one of the wonderful projects of the Water Festival, often in the Water Festival, "Mai Paya evening horse" (the third day) held. On that day, people dressed in festive costumes gather on the banks of the Lancang River and Ruili River to watch the dragon boat race. River moored in green colorful dragon boat, the boat sits dozens of strong sailors, the order sounded, ready to start the dragon boat like an arrow flying forward, and then the whole river, drums, gongs, trumpets, cheers, one after another, sound corresponding to the atmosphere of the festival reached a climax here.
5, put the high rise
The high rise is a kind of fireworks made by the Dai people, the bottom of the bamboo poles filled with gunpowder and other ingredients, placed on the high rise frame made of bamboo, connected to the fuse, often burned at night. Release high rise, ignite the fuse so that the gunpowder combustion will produce a strong thrust, will be pushed into the sky like a rocket bamboo. Gao Sheng put the highest people appreciate, and get rewarded.
6, put the Kongming lantern
Dai area-specific activities: at night, people in the square on the open space, the candle will be lit, put into the homemade large "balloon" within the use of air buoyancy, a Kongming lanterns released into the sky. A bright Kongming lantern in the darkness of the night higher and higher, more and more far away. People use this to honor the ancient sage Kong Ming.
7, Border Fair
By the Thai side of the small businessmen to come over to buy and sell local specialties, snacks, as a way to increase the friendship between the two countries, which is significant. Border fair generally lasts three days, the first three days of the Water Festival are there, and thereafter also increased folklore inspection.