Water-splashing Festival is actually the Dai New Year, and it is one of the most solemn traditional festivals in Xishuangbanna. Generally, it is held in the middle of June in Dai calendar (about ten days before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day in the lunar calendar) for three to four days. Generally, it is from April of Gregorian calendar 13 to June of 15.
I. Origin
The Dai Water-splashing Festival is also called "Bathing Buddha Festival", the Dai language is called "Bimai" (meaning New Year), and the Dehong area in Xishuangbanna is called "Shanghan" and "Shangjian". Both names are derived from Sanskrit, meaning turnover, change and transfer, which means that the sun runs around the zodiac and begins to transition to the New Year. Achang, De 'ang, Bulang, Wa and other ethnic groups celebrate this festival. Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and other countries also celebrated the Songkran Festival.
The Songkran Festival originated in India and was a ceremony of ancient Brahmanism, which was later absorbed by Buddhism. 12 century to 13 century, it was introduced into the Dai area of China with Buddhism. With the deepening influence of Buddhism in Dai areas, the Water-splashing Festival has been circulated as a national custom for hundreds of years. During the spread of the Water-splashing Festival, the Dai people gradually combined it with their own myths and legends, giving the Water-splashing Festival more magical significance and national color.
Second, the legend
There is a vivid legend about the origin of the Songkran Festival: a long time ago, a cruel devil appeared in a place where the Dai people lived in compact communities. He did many evils, burning and robbing women everywhere, raping women, causing crop failure, making the people uneasy and miserable. People endured his cruelty and hated his guts, but no one could kill him.
The devil had six wives, but he was still not satisfied and took a beautiful and clever girl. Seven girls saw their compatriots living a miserable life and decided to find a way to destroy the devil. Smart people hate the devil in their hearts, but they are expressionless on the surface, pretending to be good with the devil. One night, the devil snatched back many treasures and slaves from the outside. When the demon king was unhappy, she explored the secret of strangling the demon king with her hair. So, in the dead of night, while the devil was asleep, the girl quietly pulled out a hair of the devil and strangled him. In an instant, the devil's head rolled to the ground, but as soon as his head landed, a fire broke out on the ground. On the verge of disaster, the girls immediately picked up their heads and the fire went out. However, where the devil's head rolls, there will be disaster, which will be thrown into the river and the river will overflow; Buried in the ground, it stinks everywhere, and only the devil's wife can hold it safely.
In order to avoid disaster to the people, the girls took turns to hold the devil's head, one for one day. A day in the sky is equal to a year on earth. Every year, the girls take turns, which is the Dai New Year. With admiration for the girls, the Dai people poured clean water on the girls holding their heads to wash away their blood stains and the fatigue of adults as a blessing.
Later, in order to commemorate these seven witty and brave women, the Dai people splashed water on each other on this day every year, thus forming a grand festival of the Dai people to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year-the Water Splashing Festival.
Three. Main activities
The Dai people's water-splashing festival lasts for three or four days. The first day is "Mairi", which is similar to Chinese New Year's Eve. Dai language calls it "ten thousand business letters", which means to send the old. At this time, people have to tidy up their houses, clean up, and prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner and various activities during the festival. The next day is called "boredom day", and "boredom" means "emptiness" According to custom, this day is neither the year before nor the year after, so it is called "empty day"; The third day is called "Maipaya Wanma". It is said that the soul of Mapaya Wanma returned to Earth with a new calendar. People are used to seeing this day as "the arrival of the King of Heaven", which is the New Year of the Dai calendar.
During festivals, Dai men, women and children put on festive costumes, carry clear water, go to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha first, and then start splashing water on each other. You splash me, I splash you, and one splash blooms in the air, symbolizing auspiciousness, happiness and health. The bright and glittering water drops in the hands of young people also symbolize sweet love. Everyone threw water at each other, and there were baptisms, blessings and songs everywhere. Water splashing is laughing, and the water splashing festival has become an ocean of joy.
In addition to splashing water, the Water-Splashing Festival also includes folk activities such as catching pendulum, dragon boat race, bathing Buddha, chanting, singing Zhangha, fighting cocks, jumping peacock dance, jumping white elephants, throwing bags and flying lanterns, as well as other artistic performances and economic and trade exchanges.
1, Water Splashing Festival "Fu": Bathing Buddha
On the "Mairi" day, early in the morning, people will pick flowers and green leaves to worship in Buddhist temples, and bring clean water to "bathe the Buddha"-welcome the dust for the Buddha. After the "Buddha bath", they began to collectively splash water on each other. Groups of young men and women used various containers to hold water, pouring out of the streets, chasing and playing, splashing everyone out of the water. "When the water is splashed, the family will be crazy" and "when it is wet, it will be fun for a lifetime"! The waves symbolizing auspiciousness, happiness and health are blooming in the air, and people are splashing and laughing loudly, soaking wet and in high spirits. ...
2. Songkran Festival "Love": Packet Loss
Songkran Festival is also a wonderful time for unmarried young men and women to find love and cultivate happiness. During the Songkran Festival, unmarried young men and women of the Dai people like to play the game of "losing packets". The flower bag carefully made by the girl is a token of love. On the day of packet loss, the girls tried their best to dress up, then came to the "package field" with flower umbrellas and small flower bags, separated from the boys by thirty or forty steps, and began to throw flower bags at each other. If the young man can't get the bag thrown by the girl, he has to put the flowers prepared in advance in the girl's hair. If the girl can't get the bag thrown by the boy, she has to put the flowers in the boy's chest ... so he gradually chose the other person and a series of romantic love stories began.
3. Water-splashing Festival "Power": Dragon Boat Race
Dragon boat race is one of the most exciting activities of the Water-splashing Festival, which is usually held on the third day of the Maypaya Night Horse Festival. On that day, people dressed in festive costumes gathered on the banks of Lancang River and Ruili River to watch the dragon boat race. There is a green dragon boat moored on the river, and dozens of lean sailors sit on it. At the command, the dragon boat ready to go flies forward like an arrow. Suddenly, the drums, gongs, trumpets and cheers of the whole river came and went, and the sounds corresponded. The festive atmosphere here has reached a climax. ...
4. Water-splashing Festival "Dance": Elephant Foot Dance, peacock dance.
Dai people can sing and dance well, and dancing is indispensable in the water-splashing festival. Large-scale dances are mainly arranged on the third day of the Songkran Festival, such as Elephant Foot Dance and peacock dance. From the dolls of seven or eight years old to the elderly of seventy or eighty years old, they all put on holiday costumes and gathered in the village square to participate in group dances. Elephant foot dance is warm, steady and chic. Dancers form a circle, dance with manganese gongs and elephant drums, and cheer "me, me" or "water, water" while jumping! Peacock dance is beautiful, elegant and lyrical, which is the soul of Dai dance. Dancing is based on various postures of peacocks, and in the recreation of interest and beauty, it embodies the aesthetic purport of Dai children. There are also many dancers who indulge their improvisation. Some sing and dance, and some even drink while dancing. They are crazy and unrestrained, and they are not tired after dancing for days and nights.
5. Songkran Festival "Goldman Sachs": Let the lanterns of Goldman Sachs and Kong Ming fly.
Raising the height is another reserved program of the Songkran Festival. Goldman Sachs is a kind of fireworks made by Dai people. The bottom of the bamboo pole is filled with gunpowder and other ingredients, placed on a high shelf made of bamboo, connected by wires, and often set off at night. When lifting, igniting the fuse will make the gunpowder burn, which will produce a strong thrust and push the bamboo into the sky like a rocket. Bamboo emits white smoke, making a whizzing scream, and at the same time emitting gorgeous fireworks in the air, just like flowers, dazzling and wonderful. On the ground, cheers, cheers come and go, and there are endless comments and exclamations, which are very lively. The stockade flying higher and farther makes people feel more glorious and auspicious.
Lighting lanterns is also a unique activity in Dai areas. At night, people light lanterns and candles in the open space of the square, put them into homemade balloons, and use the buoyancy of the air to fly lanterns into the sky. Bright lanterns fly higher and higher and farther in the dark. People use this to commemorate the ancient sage Kong Ming.
Fourth, inherit the value.
The Water-Splashing Festival is a comprehensive stage to fully display the traditional culture of the Dai people, including water culture, music and dance culture, food culture, costume culture and folk worship. It is an important window to study the Dai history and has high academic value. The artistic performances such as palm-slapping and white elephant dance displayed in the Water-splashing Festival can give people artistic enjoyment and help them understand the national characteristics of the Dai people, such as understanding nature, respecting Buddha in love the water and being gentle and calm. At the same time, the Songkran Festival is also an important link to strengthen the great unity of the people of all ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna, which has played a positive role in the friendly cooperation and exchanges between Xishuangbanna and Southeast Asian countries and promoted the social, economic and cultural development of Xishuangbanna.
The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20th, 2006, this folk custom was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.