The custom of Dai people celebrating the Spring Festival

In the Dai people's Spring Festival custom, April 13 every year is the Dai people's New Year, and it is also the most solemn festival of the Dai people-the Water Splashing Festival. They regard splashing water as a symbol of exorcism and decontamination, and also regard this day as the most beautiful and auspicious day.

Photo: Songkran Festival

The Water-splashing Festival, also known as the Bathing Buddha Festival, is an ancient traditional festival of the Dai people and the New Year of the Dai calendar. It started in April of the Gregorian calendar, the seventh day after Tomb-Sweeping Day, and lasted for three to four days. Legend has it that there was a demon king in ancient times who did many evils and the people suffered greatly. He has 1 1 wives. But I robbed a smart and beautiful girl. The girl is determined to harm the people. She found that although the devil won't die underwater or be cut by a knife, he can pull his head off with only one hair of his own. One night, the devil was drunk. In the dead of night, the girl pricked the devil's neck with his hair, and the devil's head fell to the ground. But although the devil is lost, wherever his head rolls, there will be disaster: if he is thrown into the river, the river will overflow; Buried underground, stinking; Put it on the ground and the earth will burn. Only if his wife holds it will there be no disaster. In order to avoid man-made disasters, the girls hold 12 and 1 person/day, and each person takes turns for one day. A day in the sky is a year on earth. Every time you rotate, you should splash water on the girls with clear water to wash away their blood stains. In order to thank and commemorate these 12 girls, the Dai people celebrate the Water-splashing Festival every year. The first day of the festival is to see the elderly off. In the early morning, devout Buddhists bathed and changed clothes, set up pagodas with beaches in Buddhist temples, sat around the pagodas and listened to monks chanting and preaching, praying for a bumper harvest, and then the whole village took a handful of water and poured it on the Buddha statue to welcome the Buddha. After bathing in the Buddha, people beat gongs and drums from all directions and rushed to the streets with elephant-foot drums, filled with festive laughter. With the cheers of "water, water, water" (a beautiful meaning in Dai language), pots of holy water are thrown at each other to express good wishes, which can eliminate disasters and diseases until everyone is soaked. There will be dragon boat races and peacock dance during the Songkran Festival, and young men and women will "lose their bags" during the festival. At night, colorful fireworks are set off in the square, and everyone sings and dances around the blazing bonfire and revels all night. Now it has added new contents such as cultural performances and fair trade.

Figure: throwing chaff bags

On the second and third days of the Dai Spring Festival, some villages will hold "Elephant Foot Drum Competition". The players are full of energy and keep beating drums. Whoever looks good and plays the drums well will win the prize.

Photo: Elephant Foot Drum Competition