Songkran Festival is also a traditional festival of Myanmar people, similar to the Spring Festival in China. It is usually held in the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar and usually lasts for 3 or 4 days.
According to Myanmar customs, during festivals, men, women and children can splash water on each other to show the intention of washing the old and welcoming the new. A cultured person, with fragrant cherry branches, dipped a silver bowl in clear water soaked with rose petals and gently shook it on others. Ordinary people like to pour the whole bucket and basin, or even spray it with a hose. Children who spray adults with water guns will not be scolded. The more people splash, the happier they are, because water symbolizes happiness.
There are different legends about the origin of the Songkran Festival in Myanmar. There is a saying: One year, the king of Myanmar met a fairy in his palace. He was so happy that he ordered people to mix spices and clear water and sprinkle them on the officials of the civil and military forces to show that they would wash away the old and welcome the new.
Dai people living in "Peacock Town"
The Dai people's New Year is the Water-splashing Festival. On the tenth morning after Tomb-Sweeping Day every year, people bathe and change clothes, put on bright clothes, go to the Buddhist temple to bathe in Buddhist scriptures, build sand pagodas, and then splash water on each other, symbolizing good luck. According to legend, in the new year, the more water you splash, the happier you will be. At the same time, activities such as dragon boat race, packet loss, setting off sparks and lighting lanterns are very lively. At night, people are still immersed in dancing and laughing.
Dai people mainly live in Yunnan province. Most Dai people live in Pingba area, a valley surrounded by mountains, with abundant rainfall and spring-like seasons. It is rich in cash crops such as rice, sugarcane, camphor and coffee, as well as rare birds and animals such as wild elephants, rhinoceroses, golden monkeys and peacocks. They are called "the hometown of peacocks". For more information, search WeChat: Guangxi-ASEAN Economic and Trade Promotion Association.