Water-splashing Festival is the most grand festival of Dai people, and it is also the festival with the largest influence and the largest number of participants in ethnic festivals. Songkran Festival is the Dai New Year, which is equivalent to the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar. The festival usually lasts for 3 to 7 days. On the first day, the Dai language was called "Mairi", which was similar to the New Year's Eve of the lunar calendar. The next day, the Dai language was called "Angry Day" (Empty Day); The third day is New Year's Day, called "Bawangma", which is actually the beginning of the year. People regard this day as the most beautiful and auspicious day. In the early morning of the festival, Dai men, women and children put on festive costumes, carried clear water, went to the Buddhist temple to bathe Buddha first, and then began to splash water on each other to wish each other luck, happiness and health. People are dancing and shouting "water! Water! Water! " The sound of drums and gongs resounded through the sky, and the water of blessing splashed everywhere. The scene was really spectacular.
During the Songkran Festival, Dai youths like to play the game of losing packets in the glade. The flower bag is made of beautiful flower cloth, filled with cotton paper, cottonseed, etc., and decorated with five flower spikes at the four corners and center. It is a token of love, and young men and women get to know each other by losing and receiving the bag. After the girl consciously let the young man lose, the young man gave the prepared gift to the girl, and both left the crowd to fall in love in a secluded place.
there will be a dragon boat race during the water-splashing festival. The competition was held on the Lancang River. Groups of dragon boats, dressed in red and green, beat the waves with the sound of gongs, shouts and whistles, attracting thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists to the Lancang River, adding a lot of tension and joy to the festival.
The Water-Splashing Festival originated in India. It was once a religious ceremony of Brahmanism in India, and was later absorbed by Buddhism. It was introduced to Dai areas in Yunnan through Myanmar, with a history of 7 years. With the increasing influence of Buddhism spreading to the south in Dai areas, the valley-learning of the Water-splashing Festival has become increasingly widespread. The Water-splashing Festival is a celebration of the Dai New Year, usually between April 13th and April 15th in the solar calendar. At that time, people will go to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha first, then splash water on each other and express sincere wishes with splashing water. Laughter everywhere, full of festive atmosphere.
Another eye-catching activity of the Songkran Festival is dragon boat rowing, elephant foot drum dancing and peacock dance. At that time, on the third day of the Dai New Year, the Dai language called it "Maipaya Wanma", and the festive atmosphere reached its climax. People dressed in festive costumes gathered on the banks of Lancang River and Ruili River to watch the dragon boat race. The activities of the Water-Splashing Festival are rich in content, and others include soaring, cockfighting, peacock dance dancing, etc. People are dressed in costumes and beaming, and the scene is extremely warm!
When the Water-Splashing Festival comes, Dai people are busy killing pigs, chickens and making wine. They also have to make many "rice cakes" and a variety of Baba made of glutinous rice to eat during the festival.
the water-splashing festival lasts for three days. On the first day, rowing dragon boats, flying high and performing arts; Splash water the next day; On the third day, young men and women lost packets and exchanged materials together.
The Songkran Festival is usually held on the banks of the beautiful Lancang River. When the dawn reflected the "City of Dawn", people of all ethnic groups dressed in costumes gathered here from all directions. At the sound of a command, one by one rose into the air and went straight through the sky, like a dragon boat arrow, heading straight for the other side. At this time, thousands of golden bamboos played together, gongs and elephant-foot drums sounded together, and the banks of the Lancang River suddenly became a sea of joy.
At the beginning of water splashing, the polite Dai girl said the words of blessing, while dipping bamboo leaves and branches in the water in the basin and sprinkling it at each other. At the climax, people used copper bowls, washbasins and even buckets to hold water, playing and chasing in the streets and lanes. They only felt that the water facing them and the water behind them were splashed and soaked from head to toe, but people were in high spirits and full of laughter and laughter everywhere. After a period of water baptism, people form a circle and dance with the accompaniment of gongs and elephant-foot drums, regardless of nationality, age and occupation. When excited, people also burst into cheers of "water, water, water". Some men drink while jumping, and stay up all night.
"Lost Packet" is the most romantic, and it is often a special game for unmarried Dai youth. "Bao" is a token of love. It is carefully made by Dai girls with cotton seeds in it, and the four corners of the bag are decorated with colorful flowers. When the bag is lost, men and women stand in a row on the grassy lawn. First, the Dai girl throws the bag to the young man, and then the young man throws it to the girl to convey their feelings. In this way, the flowers flew around, and finally the feelings exchanged to a certain extent. The two sides quietly withdrew from the packet loss field and found a quiet place to whisper to each other.
At the Water-Splashing Festival, young people carry water and splash it like silver flowers in full bloom.
traditional festivals of Dai, Achang, De 'ang, Brown, Wa and other ethnic groups. Dai language calls the New Year "Jingbimai" and the Songkran Festival "Hounan". Therefore, the Songkran Festival is a symbol of the alternation of the old and the new in the Dai calendar year.
Water-splashing Festival usually lasts for three to five days in the middle of April in Gregorian calendar and June in Dai calendar. The first day is called "Wandosanli", which means New Year's Eve, and the last day is called "Wanba Wanma", which means "the day when the king of days comes", which is New Year's Day. The middle is called "wrist brain", which means "empty day". Every festival, we should carry out activities such as splashing water, losing bags, rowing dragon boats, flying high, worshiping Buddha, and catching up with others.
In the early morning of the first day of the festival, people gathered flowers and green leaves to worship in the Buddhist temple, and built four or five towers in the temple. Secular beings sat around the towers, listened to the Buddha chanting, and then carried the Buddha to the courtyard. Women in the whole village came to fetch clear water to welcome the Buddha. After the Buddhist temple ceremony, young men and women quit splashing water on each other for fun, so mass splashing water activities began. People use copper bowls, washbasins and even buckets to hold water, crowd out of the streets and lanes, play chase, and splash it at everyone. Folk believe that this is auspicious water, blessed water, which can eliminate disasters and diseases, so people splash and pour it as much as they like, regardless of whether they are splashed or splashed, although they are soaked from head to toe, they are still very happy. I saw a blossoming spray in full bloom in the crowd, forming a rainbow under the reflection of sunlight, full of laughter and laughter everywhere.
In addition to splashing water, there are also mass singing and dancing activities. Old people from 7 to 8 years old to dolls from 7 to 8 years old put on holiday costumes and came to the village square. Men, women and children formed a circle and danced with mang gongs and drums. Some dance "peacock dance", some dance "Yula Ah", and some improvise, singing and dancing, with beautiful movements, distinct rhythm and moving songs. Jump into high spirits, or burst into cheers of "water, water, water", or end with the song of "Yula, Yula". Some men drink while jumping, such as drunkenness, staying up all night, and even getting drunk on the dance floor.
during the festival, a dragon boat race was held on the wide Lancang River. Wooden boats are tied with colorful flowers, dressed up as Jackie Chan, peacock and big fish, and dozens of young men and women are struggling to paddle forward. The audience on both sides of the strait is like a cloud, and the sound of gongs and drums and cheers resounds through the sky. After the competition, the winner came to the podium to receive the prize and drink the celebration wine.
at night, the fireworks in each village go up. This is a self-made fireworks by the Dai people. It uses a bamboo that is tens of feet long, and the roots are filled with gunpowder and other ingredients, which are placed on the elevated bamboo. When the fuse is lit and the gunpowder burns, bamboo shoots into the sky like a rocket, and emits gorgeous fireworks in the air, just like flowers, stars shining and dazzling, which makes the festival night sky particularly beautiful. Those who are promoted to the highest position are appreciated and rewarded.
During the Songkran Festival, there are also activities such as packet loss. Young men and women seek partners through packet loss and express their affection.
April 13th every year is the Songkran Festival in Thailand. Song Gan is Sanskrit, which means "the sun moves to Aries, that is, the beginning of a new solar year". The Songkran Festival lasts for three days, which is the hottest time of the year in Thailand. Before the festival, clean the house and burn old clothes to avoid bad luck. On the day of the festival, you should pile sand towers in the temple, plant colorful flags and offer flowers, and pray for a bumper harvest. In the evening, the perfume soaked with petals is sprinkled on the arms and backs of the elders to express their good wishes to the elders; After that, the elder showered water on the head of the younger generation, indicating the blessing from the elder.
The annual Thai New Year-Songkran Festival is coming, starting from April 13th, and the whole Thailand is shrouded in jubilation for three days. At this moment, Thais usually celebrate by splashing water on each other, so it is also called the Water-splashing Festival.
the traditional custom of splashing water means that you can wash away the frustrations of the past year and start a new year. Nowadays, the Songkran Festival is full of interesting ingredients, so don't be angry if you get wet all over when you go to Thailand at this time! In fact, the tradition of the Songkran Festival is not unique to Thailand. For example, neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia also celebrate this festival at the same time.
On this day, men, women and children will wear new clothes and bring food offerings to the temple to worship monks. Housewives are the busiest in the New Year. On New Year's Eve, they are busy cleaning the environment inside and outside their homes, and old clothes or things in their homes are set on fire, because according to tradition, it will bring bad luck if they don't throw away old things or useless things. On the afternoon of April 13th, people will wash the Buddha statues, and at the same time, the younger generation will pour fragrant water into the hands of their elders and parents, representing their respect for their parents and elders and praying for blessing.
Every year in Pattaya, some celebrations are held at this time, such as food exhibitions, float parades, beauty contests and various fireworks displays. In Chiang Mai, beauty pageants and parades will be held. In Thailand, it is very important to pursue the distance carefully, so people will also bring their ancestors' urns to temples to hold worship ceremonies to pray for blessings.
[ Edit this paragraph] De 'ang People's Water-splashing Festival
De 'ang people also celebrated the Water-splashing Festival on the seventh day after Tomb-Sweeping Day. Except for the water-splashing blessing and dancing elephant foot drum, the most distinctive custom of De 'ang People's Water-splashing Festival is to wash hands and feet for their elders. At that time, the younger generation of young people in each family should prepare a pot of hot water and put it in the center of the hall, invite their parents and other elders out to sit in the hall, kowtow to them, and ask them to forgive their filial piety in the past year. The elders should also review what they have not done enough to set an example for the younger generation in the past year. Then, the younger generation washed their hands and feet for their elders, and wished each other a harmonious and hardworking atmosphere in the coming year. If parents die, brothers, sisters, sister-in-law and brother-in-law will become the objects of washing hands and feet. This custom comes from an old legend: a disobedient son was working on the mountain on the seventh day after Tomb-Sweeping Day. When he saw the scene of young birds feeding back, he realized something and decided to treat his mother well. At this time, his mother was coming to the mountain to deliver food for her son and accidentally slipped. Her son came to help her, but she thought his son was coming to beat her and bumped into a tree. My son was so regretful that he cut down the tree and carved it into a statue of his mother. Every year on the seventh day after Qingming Festival, he washed the statue in warm water sprinkled with petals. Later it evolved into a custom.
The De 'ang Water-splashing Festival is similar to the Dai Water-splashing Festival, but different from it. Most of them are held around the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar. Near the festival, people are busy making new clothes, rice chaffs, hoses, buckets and other water splashing tools. Old believers gathered in Buddhist temples, set up huts to wash dust for the statue of Sakyamuni during the Songkran Festival, and set up hoses. The hose is carved from a thick piece of wood, about four or five meters long, with a new color painting and a notch on it. When splashing water, the girl carries the bucket and ends the basin, pours auspicious water into the trough and flows to the Buddha statue in the hut to welcome the dust for the Buddha. Then, the venerable elders hold flowers, dip them in water and gently sprinkle them on the surrounding people to bless everyone and congratulate the beginning of the new year. At this time, people began to get excited and congratulated each other on the New Year. Young people held buckets high above their heads and sprinkled water drops on the hands of the elderly, wishing people a happy, healthy and long life. Old people put out their hands, put water sticks in their hands, and read greetings to congratulate and bless young people. After this ceremony, people lined up with elephant-foot drums and flocked to the springs and rivers, singing and dancing, chasing each other and splashing water. The Songkran Festival is not only a ceremony for De 'ang people to celebrate the New Year, but also a good opportunity for young men and women to fall in love and find their sweethearts. De 'ang people are popular in giving bamboo baskets to their favorite girls when they string girls in the dead of night, and the most beautiful one should be given to their favorite girl to express their love and test each other's reaction. Therefore, at this time, every girl often receives several bamboo baskets, but who does the girl really love? It depends on who gave her the bamboo basket on the girl's back on the day of Songkran Festival. On this day, all the girls carry a delicate and beautiful bamboo basket on their backs, but whose is it? This time, the boys were very busy. They opened their eyes and stared at the bamboo baskets on the girls, carefully identifying whether the bamboo basket that their sweetheart was carrying was the one they gave her. After the lovers meet, they splash water and play with each other to express their excitement and joy.
[ Edit this paragraph] Dai Water-splashing Festival
The Dai people in China have a long cultural tradition, with a population of nearly one million. They mainly live in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southern Yunnan, dehong autonomous prefecture in western Yunnan, Gengma and Menglian autonomous counties, and others are scattered all over Yunnan. Dai nationality has a long history, and Dai language belongs to the Dai branch of Zhuang and Dai language family of Sino-Tibetan language family. The whole people believe in Buddhism, but primitive religious activities are also common, such as worshipping gods, ghosts, agriculture, hunting and spiritual objects.
The Water-Splashing Festival is actually the Dai New Year, and it is one of the most solemn traditional festivals in Xishuangbanna. It is usually held in the middle of June of the Dai calendar (about ten days before and after the Qingming Festival in the lunar calendar) for three to four days. Usually in the solar calendar from April 13th to 15th.
1. Origin
The Dai Water Splashing Festival is also called "Bathing Buddha Festival", which is called "Bimai" (meaning New Year) in Dai language, and "Shanghan" and "Shangjian" in Dehong area of Xishuangbanna. Both names are derived from Sanskrit, meaning turnover, change and transfer, which means that the sun has been running in the zodiac for one week and has begun to transition to the new year. Achang, De 'ang, Brown, Wa and other ethnic groups celebrate this festival. Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and other countries have also celebrated the Songkran Festival.
The Songkran Festival originated in India, which was a ritual of ancient Brahmanism, and was later absorbed by Buddhism. It was introduced to the Dai area in Yunnan, China with Buddhism from the end of 12th century to the beginning of 13th century. With the deepening influence of Buddhism in Dai areas, the Water-splashing Festival has been handed down as a national custom for hundreds of years. In the process of spreading the Water-splashing Festival, the Dai people gradually combined it with their own national myths and legends, giving the Water-splashing Festival a more magical meaning and national color.
2. Legend
There is a vivid legend about the origin of the Water-splashing Festival: a long time ago, a cruel devil appeared in the area where the Dai people lived in compact communities. He committed all kinds of evils, burning and robbing women everywhere, raping women, causing crops to fail, making people uneasy and making people miserable. People suffered from his cruelty and hated his guts, but no one could kill him.
The Devil has six wives, but he is still not satisfied, and he has robbed a beautiful and clever girl. The seven girls saw that their compatriots were living a miserable life and were determined to find a way to destroy the devil. Smart girls hate the devil in their hearts, but on the surface, they don't show emotion and pretend to be very close to him. One night, the demon king snatched back many treasures and slaves from the outside. When the demon king was not happy, she explored the secret of strangling the demon king with his hair. So, in the dead of night, while the devil is asleep.