Legend of the Dai Water-splashing Festival
The Water-splashing Festival is the most grand festival of the Dai people, and it is also the festival with the largest influence and the largest number of participants in Yunnan. Songkran Festival is the New Year of the Dai people, which is equivalent to the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar and generally lasts for 3 to 7 days. The following is the legendary story of Dai Water-splashing Festival carefully edited by me for you. Welcome to read it!
Legend of the Dai People's Water-splashing Festival
A long time ago, there was a vicious demon king. He had magic, and he couldn't float in the water. He couldn't burn in the water, his knife couldn't break, his spear couldn't penetrate, and his bow and arrow couldn't shoot. He is arrogant, arrogant, bullying and doing evil all day. At that time, there were sixteen floors in the sky, and he became the overlord of one of them. He bullied and plundered the people and did all kinds of evil. He already has six beautiful wives, but if any family has beautiful daughters, he will take them for himself. On one occasion, he saw a princess on earth named Qing Zongbu, who was more beautiful than his six wives, so he snatched her away and became his seventh wife.
One June, it was the Chinese New Year's day on earth. The demon king invited the magic ministers and generals to drink and have fun in the palace to celebrate the New Year. After three rounds of drinking, the host and guest were already drunk. Wan zongbu took the opportunity to praise the devil:? My noble king, you are powerful and noble. With your prestige, you can be conquest of paradise, hell and earth. You should be the master of the three realms. ? The demon king listened proudly, pondered for a while, turned to his beloved wife and said, I can really conquer the three realms, and no one knows my weakness. ? Wan zongbu then asked:? Your majesty has such magic, how can he have weaknesses? The devil whispered:? I'm afraid someone will pull my hair and tie my neck, which will split my head. You should watch it often. ? Wan zongbu pretended to be surprised and asked:? How can a king who can conquer the three realms be afraid of hair? The demon king whispered again:? Although my hair is small, my hair will break my neck and I won't live. ?
after listening to the zongbu, she secretly made up her mind. So, she continued to pour wine for
the devil, until the banquet was exhausted, and she helped the devil to go to bed and fall asleep. At this time, she carefully pulled out a hair of the devil, and tied it to the devil's neck before he woke up. The devil's head immediately fell to the ground, and every drop of blood on his head turned into a fire, burning and spreading rapidly to the world. At this time, Wan Zongbu quickly picked up the devil's head, and the flame on the earth went out, but as soon as the head was put down, the fire burned again. So, six wives of the king also came, and they took turns to hold the head of the devil, so that the fire would not burn.
Later, Wan Zongbu replied to the world, but she was still covered in blood, and people poured water on her in order to wash away the blood on her body. The blood was finally washed away, and the rice dumplings lived happily on earth. After the death of Zongbu, in order to commemorate her, people splash water on each other every year during the Spring Festival, and wash off the dirt with clean water to usher in an auspicious New Year.
further reading
the origin of the Water-splashing Festival
The Dai Water-splashing Festival is also called "Bathing Buddha Festival", which is called "Bimai" in Dai language (meaning New Year), and the Dai people in Dehong area of Xishuangbanna also call this festival "Shang Han" and "Shang Jian". Both names are derived from Sanskrit, meaning turnover, change and transfer, which means that the sun has started to run in the zodiac for one week. 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.
main activities of the water-splashing festival
the Dai water-splashing festival lasts for three to four days. The first day is "Mairi", which is similar to Lunar New Year's Eve. In Dai language, it is called "Wan Duo Shang Han", which means to send the old. At this time, people should clean up their houses, clean up, prepare new year's dinner and various activities during the festival. The next day is called "annoyed day", and "annoyed" means "empty". According to the custom, this day is neither the previous year nor the next year, so it is called "empty day"; The third day is called "Maipaya Wanma". It is said that the spirit of Maipaya Wanma returned to earth with a new calendar. People used to regard this day as "the arrival of the king of days" and it was the New Year's Day of the Dai calendar.
On festivals, Dai men, women and children put on their holiday costumes, carry clear water, go to the Buddhist temple to bathe Buddha first, and then start splashing water on each other. You splash me, I splash you, and the water blooms in the air, which symbolizes 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 of water everywhere. The water splashing is laughing, and the Songkran Festival has become an ocean of joy.
In addition to splashing water, the Water-Splashing Festival also includes folk activities such as throwing a pendulum, dragon boat racing, bathing Buddha, chanting, singing in Zhangha, cockfighting, peacock dance dancing, white elephant dancing, packet loss, flying high and flying Kongming lanterns, as well as other artistic performances and economic and trade exchanges.
1. Water-splashing Festival "Blessing": Bathing Buddha
On "Mairi", early in the morning, people will bring flowers and green leaves to the Buddhist temple to offer sacrifices, and bring clean water to "bathe Buddha"-to welcome the dust for the Buddha statue. After the "Buddha bath", the collective mutual splashing of water began. Groups of young men and women use various containers to hold water, pouring out of the streets, chasing and playing, and splashing everyone. "When the water is splashed, the Dai family is crazy", "When you get wet, you will be happy for life"! A splash symbolizing auspiciousness, happiness and health is in full bloom in the air, and people splash it heartily, laughing loudly, soaking wet and having high interest?
2. Water-splashing Festival "Love": Lost Packet
Water-splashing Festival is also a beautiful 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 in her hand 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 pick up the package thrown by the girl, he has to insert the flowers prepared in advance into the girl's hair. If the girl can't pick up the package thrown by the young man, he has to insert the flowers into the boy's chest? In this way, the other party was gradually selected, 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 events of the Water-splashing Festival, which is often held on the third day of Maipaya Evening Horse. On that day, people dressed in festive costumes gathered on the banks of Lancang River and Ruili River to watch the dragon boat race. Dragon boats dressed in green are moored on the river, and dozens of lean sailors are sitting on the boat. As soon as the order rings, the dragon boats ready to go fly forward like arrows. Suddenly, the whole river is full of drums, gongs, trumpets and cheers, one after another, and the sound is corresponding. The festive atmosphere has reached its climax here?
4. Water-splashing Festival "Dance": Elephant Foot Dance and peacock dance
The Dai people can sing and dance well, so the water-splashing Festival naturally needs dance. 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, dancing with manganese gongs and elephant drums, and cheering "I, I" or "water, water" while dancing! Peacock dance is beautiful, elegant and lyrical, which is the soul of Dai dance. The dance is based on the peacock's various postures, and in the recreation of interest and beauty, it embodies the aesthetic purport of Dai children. There are also many dancers who indulge their improvisations. Some dance while singing, 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 "Gaosheng": Gaosheng and Kongming Lantern
Gaosheng are another reserved program of Songkran Festival. Gaosheng is a kind of fireworks made by the Dai people. The bottom of bamboo pole is filled with gunpowder and other ingredients, placed on a high-rise frame made of bamboo, connected with wires, and often set off at night. When lifting, igniting the fuse to make the gunpowder burn 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 and cheers broke out one after another, and the voices of discussion and praise were endless, which was very lively. The stockade, which flies higher and farther, makes people feel more glorious and auspicious.
Setting off Kongming lanterns is also a unique activity in Dai areas. At night, people lit the lanterns and candles in the open space of the square, put them in a homemade balloon, and use the buoyancy of the air to fly the lanterns into the sky. Bright lanterns fly higher and higher and farther in the dark night. People use this to commemorate the ancient sage Kong Ming. ;