A guide to the Dai Water-Splashing Festival, including precautions and taboos
Preface
If you ask what is the most important day of the year, I think most people would say the "Spring Festival", because it symbolizes family reunion, turning over the past, and is also the beginning of the new year.
For the Dai people, the most important thing must be the Water-Splashing Festival.
Many people know about the "Water Splashing Festival", but they may not know that the Water Splashing Festival celebrates the New Year of the Dai calendar, and there are even three or four days of holidays!
The Water-Splashing Festival is the most important festival of the Dai ethnic group. It is also the most influential and largest-attended festival among the ethnic minority festivals in Yunnan. The entire festival lasts three to four days.
The first day - "Wheat Day"
Similar to Lunar New Year's Eve, it is called "Wanduo Shanghan" in Dai language, which means to say goodbye to the old. At this time, people should tidy up the house, clean up, prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, and participate in various activities such as dragon boat racing, kitesurfing, and cultural performances.
The next day - "annoying day"
"Nao" means "empty". According to custom, this day belongs neither to the previous year nor the next year, so it is an "empty day". People use water splashing activities to commemorate the goddess who eliminates harm for the people, use holy water to eliminate disasters and misfortunes, and wish each other peace and happiness.
The third day - "Maipayawanma".
It is said that the spirit of Maipayawanma returns to the world with the new calendar. People are accustomed to regard this day as the "coming of the King of Days", which is the New Year's Day of the Dai calendar.
The fourth day of the New Year
is called "Bawangma", which is regarded as the beginning of the year. People regard this day as the most beautiful and auspicious day.
The dates for this year's Xishuangbanna Water Splashing Festival have been confirmed! From April 13th to 15th, tourists looking to join in the fun shouldn't miss this date!
At that time, you can see Dai men, women, young and old dressed in their best clothes, splashing water on each other, wishing each other good luck, and the blessing water splashing everywhere. The scene is very spectacular!
Misunderstood carnival
In 2017, when I first arrived in Banna, I squeezed into the Jinghong Water Splashing Square with a water gun I bought from Taobao, and followed the tourists to splash ice water on strangers.
The midday sun scorched the stone slabs. A girl in a navel-baring Dai costume suddenly threw a bucket of ice water at me. The crisp clink of her silver belt mingled with the screams of tourists: "Brother, receive blessings!"
Her smile was blurred by the splashing water, but I was staggering from the cold.
At that time, Xishuangbanna was like a giant water-fighting battlefield. I hid in a Dai-style restaurant at the end of an alley. The owner, Yan Wen, handed me fried moss wrapped in a banana leaf and said, "Young man, you should accept the water during the Water Splashing Festival with a smile."
I still remember the silver bracelet on his wrist with the Dai word "1988" engraved on it. He said it was a coming-of-age gift from his father.
Late at night by the Lancang River, I ran into a few elderly women washing water lanterns. They recounted the legend of the Water Splashing Festival: "The head of the Seventh Princess turned into a fireball, and that's when we Dai people learned to put out fires with water."
72-year-old Yu Bo used a dry branch to push the water away. "The water is too cold now. The Dragon King's eyes will get sick."
Later I learned that the Water-Splashing Festival is intended to cleanse the Buddha and bless the world. The blessed water in the ancient Dai ritual is well water that has been exposed to the sun for three hours, which is warm enough to hatch grain seeds.
Learn to splash water
In 2023, I encountered the Water-Splashing Festival again, but this time it was not in Jinghong, but in Menglian, a small border town in Pu'er.
Six years have passed, and everyone's weapons have been upgraded. The back of the pickup truck is covered with waterproof cloth and slowly loaded with water. Several Dai warriors emerge from the water, using basins and high-pressure water guns. Their firepower should not be underestimated.
But the warriors walking on the ground did not retreat. Although the firepower of individual soldiers was not as good, they had the advantage of numbers. A group of people surrounded them and started to attack. I also mixed in the crowd and rushed forward.
The most unforgettable moment was when a little girl in a rainbow-colored Dai costume and pigtails chased me and splashed me with water for several minutes near the market. Finally, breathlessly, she said to me, "Thank you, uncle, for stopping the car and letting us go first."
It turns out that Songkran is a way to "repay" kindness with blessings.
The night before I left Menglian, I was having dinner in a restaurant. It was a little late and there were few customers, so I chatted with the owner about my thoughts on the Water-Splashing Festival.
When I was leaving, the boss at the hotel dripped seven drops of water into my palm: "First, to the Buddha; second, to the ancestors; third, to our Burmese brothers on the other side of the river; fourth, to the land; fifth, to the running water; sixth, to our future children; seventh,..." He patted my shoulder.
The Water Splashing Festival is very popular nowadays, and hotels and air tickets are very expensive. Most tourists who go to experience it are just there for the excitement, and local vendors may just want to make a fortune.
There is less and less attention paid to the reason for splashing water, and there is a lot of negative news on the Internet. People go there with a carnival mentality, but bring back complaints and complaints.
I finally made the trip here, but I went to the wrong place. Not only did I have a bad experience, but I also wasted the opportunity to learn about Yunnan, a cultural treasure trove.
China-TravelNote takes advantage of the excitement of the Water-Splashing Festival to specially plan an in-depth cultural tour to meet the occasion. Go deep into the villages in southwestern Yunnan and be a villager for a while. This niche and unique trip will take you to understand Yunnan from another perspective.
Guide to Civilized Water Splashing
Taboo: Don’t splash this water around
1. Do not pour water on "still souls": fire pit tripods, pickle pots, and barn beams (the Dai people believe that these objects house "house gods").
2. Do not pour water on "lowered heads": pregnant women, people in mourning, and sick elderly people (water should be used with blessing, not to disturb).
3. Do not pour water on "exposed skin": When pouring water on elders, do so through their clothes. Using a branch dipped in water to sprinkle lightly is more respectful.
4. Do not pour water on "midnight water": Stop pouring water after the sun sets, leaving the water for the earth and the stars.
Blessings: Splash water like this and it will laugh
1. Splashing water on a lover: In Dai language, "Nam Do Nam Nuan" (the more water, the warmer the love) is a saying. Aim for the back of the neck and splash, symbolizing "I give my heart to you." 2. Splashing water on an elder: Tie a small broom made of lemongrass, dip it in glutinous rice water
, and gently sweep it over the shoulders while chanting "Sawasdee, waist strong" (an auspicious phrase). 3. Splashing water on a child: Soak Burmese osmanthus flowers in water and sing "Little bamboo shoots, grow up quickly" as you splash water; this will help the child become braver.
4. Splashing water on a stranger: First, shout "Water!", then wait for the person to turn and smile before splashing. This is the Dai "code for splashing water."
Take a look at these 3 routes carefully prepared by Xiaoxia.
Do they touch your heart?
