Water Splashing Festival Customs in China: A Cultural Festival Worth Experiencing
Starting April 13th, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and other countries jointly celebrate their local New Year. In China, the Dai people and other ethnic minorities also celebrate the Water Splashing Festival. The Water Splashing Festival, called “Sang Kang Bi Mai” in the Dai language, meaning the Dai New Year, is celebrated annually from April 13th to 15th in Xishuangbanna. During the festival, various exciting activities are held, expressing people’s aspirations for a better life.
Historical Origins
Currently, the Water Splashing Festival is distributed throughout Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province; Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture; Lujiangba and Changning Counties in Baoshan City; Zhenkang, Gengma, and Shuangjiang Counties in Lincang City; Jinping County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture; and Xinping and Yuanjiang Counties in Yuxi City, all Dai-populated areas, as well as Shan-populated areas along the China-Myanmar border in Shan State, Myanmar.
Some believe that this water-splashing custom can be traced back to a winter celebration custom popular in Persia in the 5th century AD, called “Po Han Hu Xi” (also known as “Qi Han Hu Xi”). Later, “Po Han Hu Xi” spread from Persia to Myanmar and Thailand via India, and around the late 12th to early 13th century AD, it was introduced to the Dai areas of Yunnan, China, via Myanmar along with Buddhism. It gradually became a national custom and has evolved into the Water Splashing Festival we know today. People splash water on each other as a blessing, hoping that the sacred water will wash away disease and disaster, bringing a happy and prosperous life.
Key Activities
The Water Splashing Festival is the most significant celebration of the Dai people and also the most influential and widely participated ethnic festival in Yunnan. During this time, joy fills the banks of the Lancang River. Local residents gather with friends from all corners of the country to celebrate this joyous occasion together. The festival features diverse activities rich in cultural significance and broad popular appeal, including flower picking, dragon pavilion worship, water-sprinkling blessings, song and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, and the traditional game of tossing embroidered balls between men and women, as well as the release of sky lanterns, floating water lanterns, and firecrackers.
The traditional Dai Water Splashing Festival lasts three to four days. The first day is called “Mai Day,” akin to Lunar New Year’s Eve. In the Dai language, it is known as “Wan Doh Sang Khan,” meaning “sending off the old.” On this day, people tidy their homes, clean thoroughly, prepare festive meals, and arrange various activities for the festival. The second day is called “Nao Day,” where ‘Nao’ means “void.” Traditionally, this day belongs neither to the previous year nor the coming year; hence, it is considered a “void day.” The third day is known as “Mai Pa Ya Wan Ma,” revered as the beginning of the year. People regard this day as the most auspicious and beautiful.
Before the Water Splashing Festival, the Dai people gather flowers and leaves from nearby mountains. On the festival day, men, women, and children don their finest attire, dip the collected foliage in water, and begin splashing each other. Droplets burst like blossoms in the air, symbolizing good fortune, happiness, and health.
“Throwing the Bundle” is a special game for unmarried Dai youths during the festival. The “bundle” symbolizes a token of love, meticulously crafted by Dai girls from floral cloth. filled with cotton seeds and adorned with colorful tassels at each corner. During the game, men and women stand in separate rows on the lush green lawn. The Dai girls first toss the pouch to the young men, who then toss it back to the girls, using this exchange to convey their feelings. Thus, the flower pouches fly back and forth. When the exchange of feelings reaches a certain depth, the pair quietly withdraws from the tossing area, seeking a secluded spot to whisper together.
In the Dai regions, there are also activities like “launching skyrockets” and releasing Kongming lanterns. Before the festival, people erect launch stands. When the time comes, they ignite homemade rockets, sending them whistling into the blue sky. Villages whose rockets soared highest and farthest were regarded as auspicious and honored with prizes. At nightfall, people gathered in open squares to light candles inside large handmade “balloons,” using the buoyancy of hot air to release sky lanterns into the night sky.
The Dai people are skilled in song and dance, and the Water Splashing Festival naturally features dances like the Elephant Foot Dance and Peacock Dance. From children as young as seven or eight to elders in their seventies and eighties, all don festive attire and gather in the village square for group dances. The Elephant Foot Dance is passionate, steady, and graceful. Dancers form a circle, swaying to the rhythm of manganese gongs and elephant-foot drums while chanting “Wu, Wu!” or “Shui, Shui!” in unison. The Peacock Dance, elegant, refined, and lyrical, embodies the soul of Dai dance.
Based on the graceful postures of peacocks, it creatively blends charm and beauty, crystallizing the aesthetic sensibilities of the Dai people. Many dancers freely express their improvisations—some sing while dancing, others even drink while moving, utterly intoxicated and unrestrained, dancing for days and nights without fatigue.
Dragon boat racing stands as one of the most spectacular events of the Water Splashing Festival, often held during the festival’s “Maipa Ya Wanma” celebration. On that day, crowds dressed in festive attire gather along the banks of the Lancang River and Ruili River to watch the dragon boat races. Green-clad, ornately decorated dragon boats lie moored on the river, each carrying dozens of strong, fit oarsmen. At the signal, the fully prepared boats shoot forward like arrows. Instantly, the entire river resounds with the rhythmic clatter of drums, the clang of gongs, the chanting of oarsmen, and the cheers of spectators—a cacophony of sounds that builds to a crescendo, reaching the festival’s climax.
The Water Splashing Festival embodies the essence of Dai rice-farming civilization and water culture. It serves as a vital vehicle for preserving and perpetuating the Dai people’s material and spiritual heritage, holding significant reference value for research in history, cultural studies, ethnology, folklore, religious studies, and ethics.
Conclusion
The Water Splashing Festival offers travelers a way to immerse themselves in the daily life of the Dai people. Participating in the festival activities provides a direct experience of the local understanding of nature, water, and interpersonal relationships, allowing you to experience the daily life of their culture in a genuine festive atmosphere.
If you’d like to experience the local people’s joy in welcoming the new year amidst splashing water, singing, and dancing, consider contacting Tattle. We offer a one-stop service from destination planning and itinerary customization to connecting you with local resources. Most notably, we can arrange festival viewing, folk experiences, and surrounding excursions according to your interests, reducing itinerary coordination and communication costs. If you’d like to visit Xishuangbanna during the Water Splashing Festival or plan a more comprehensive Yunnan ethnic cultural tour, contact Tattle now!
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