Which country's festival is the Songkran Festival?
Which country's festival is the Songkran Festival?
Songkran Festival is the New Year of Dai calendar, and it is an annual festival for Dai, Bulang, De 'ang, Achang and other ethnic groups who use Dai calendar. Among them, the Dai people's Songkran Festival is the most grand.
Dai is a unique ethnic group in Yunnan, mainly living in Dehong, Xishuangbanna and Honghe in tropical and subtropical climate. The land where they settled is rich and fertile. The national characteristics of the Dai nationality are distinct and prominent, and people generally like singing and dancing. The dance image is vivid and delicate, and the movements are mostly the simulation and beautification of animal forms. Songkran Festival is one of the most solemn festivals of Dai people. When the Dai people celebrate the New Year, they will hold unique water splashing activities to show their blessings, so other ethnic groups also call this festival "Water Splashing Festival". During the Songkran Festival, people throw water at each other, which has the inherent meaning of eliminating disasters and diseases and praying for happiness and auspiciousness. The Songkran Festival contains new life and new hope in the new year.
The formation of the Dai Water-splashing Festival should start with "throwing cold water on Hu Opera". In the book Chang 'an in Tang Dynasty and Western Civilization, Mr. Xiang Da talked about the origin of "throwing cold water on Hu Opera" and said: "The so-called Soviet Mohist begged for cool Hu Opera. Originally spread from Yilan to India and Qiuci; China's begging for cold should have come from Qiuci again. " Some historians believe that the custom of pouring water as a play has existed since ancient times, and it was first recorded in Zhou Ji: when the Northern Zhou Dynasty (579) proclaimed itself emperor, it once "gathered hundreds of officials, courtiers and ladies-in-waiting at home and abroad to show off prostitutes' music, and all Hu people begged for cold and poured water as a play".
It can be seen that "Pouring Cold Water and Hu Opera" has been highly valued by the supreme ruler. Since then, this custom has spread from the court to the people, and by the time of Tang Zhongzong (705-709), it had prevailed in the Central Plains of China. Later, the "Hu Opera of Throwing Cold Water" spread to the Shan and Dai nationalities, which contributed to the formation of the Water-splashing Festival.
Songkran Festival is the New Year of Dai calendar, mostly in late June and a few in early July. The traditional festival time is usually 3 days (sometimes 4 days). The process of the folk water-splashing festival is like this: before the festival comes, every household has to sew new clothes and buy new umbrellas to prepare for the festival. Every village should make Goldman Sachs, set off fireworks, decorate dragon boats, conduct rowing training, and young people should rehearse programs and perform song and dance performances. On the day before the festival, men, women and children should take a bath and change clothes. In the morning, flowers should be picked from the mountains, bride price should be paid and water should be watered. The first day of this festival is called "Mai", which is equivalent to the Lunar New Year's Eve. Every household should clean up, prepare new year's goods and eat New Year's Eve. In the early morning, people marched all the way to the temple with white elephants and green horses, various Buddhist flags and statues. Offering sacrifices and flowers to the Buddha, and then sitting up and listening to the Buddha chanting, this is called Buddha. After the incarnation of the Buddha, people came to the courtyard carrying a Buddha statue and dripping water for it, which is called bathing Buddha. Then pour the clear water into the dragon back groove with exquisite wood carving and painting, flow to Longkou, and pour it on the white marble Buddha statue in the lower greenhouse of Longkou. This is the image expression of "dragons spray incense and rain on Buddha's body". Pour on the ears of grain and flowers, pray for a bumper harvest and a bright life. When the scorching sun was in the sky at noon, people began to splash water on each other to show their blessings. At this time, the young people in the square and the street played water splashing games, the young men and women under the green trees lost their bags and courted one after another, and the onlookers by the river flew for dragon boat races. It is said that this is an invitation to invite immortals to come to earth for the New Year. In the evening, we will put on Kongming lanterns, sing Dai operas and perform various cultural programs. Kongming lanterns are said to be used by the Dai people in ancient times to measure wind direction and observe the weather.
The second day of the festival is called "brain", which is an unnecessary day. Not in the old year, not in the new year. It's called an empty day. It is said that this day is the day when Darla's head rots. On this day, people usually hold water splashing activities to commemorate the goddess who saved people, and take refuge with holy water to wish each other peace and happiness. The third day is called "Maipaya Wanma". It is said that it was the day when Paya's dead ghost returned to Earth with a new calendar. People are used to calling this day the arrival of the king of heaven.
According to ancient customs, this day is to "catch up", fly high and row dragon boats to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. On the second and third days, middle-aged and elderly people still need to go to the temple every morning to listen to the scriptures and worship the Buddha, praying for the gods and buddhas to bless the whole family's safety and prosperity. During the festival, every household will kill pigs and cows to make rice cakes, prepare a rich New Year's Eve dinner and entertain relatives and friends.
The custom of Songkran Festival
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 "Bathing Buddha" ended, 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. "Spit, wear family crazy", "splash wet, have fun all your life"! The waves symbolizing auspiciousness, happiness and health are blooming in the air. People are splashing, 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 Songkran Festival, which is usually held on the third day of the Songkran Festival "Mai Paya Late 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. 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 and dance with manganese gongs and elephant drums, cheering "me, me" or "water, water" while dancing! 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.
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The Historical Origin of Songkran Festival
The Water-Splashing Festival originated in Persia in the 5th century, and it is called "Cold Splashing Hu Opera" (also called "Cold Splashing Hu Opera"). Since then, the "Hu Opera of Throwing Cold Water" has been introduced from Persia to Myanmar, Thailand and Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China, and it was introduced to Dai areas in Yunnan, China with Buddhism from the end of12nd century to the beginning of13rd century ... With the deepening influence of Buddhism in Dai areas, the Water Splashing Festival has become a national custom.
The origin of the Songkran Festival listed in the Encyclopedia of China and the national volume mentioned that it is closely related to the introduction of Hinayana Buddhism, and its activities contain many religious contents. But in its original meaning, it also reflects people's simple desire to conquer natural forces such as drought and fire. The Water-splashing Festival of China Customs Dictionary published by Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House 1990 wrote: "This festival originated in India, then spread with Hinayana Buddhism, and was introduced to Dai areas in China through Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, so it is also called' Bathing Buddha Festival'.
In the book On the Car, it is recorded: "On the morning of New Year's Day, nobles and civilians from all walks of life bathed and changed clothes, and went to the Buddhist temple to worship Buddha. Each woman carries a bucket of water to welcome the Buddha, from top to bottom, incisively and vividly, and the clay bodhisattva collapses for it. After washing the Buddha, everyone splashed water on each other and splashed water on the play. " Although this record is not detailed, it tells people that splashing water is an activity that Dai people must hold during the New Year. The "New Year's Day" mentioned above is not 1 in the Gregorian calendar, but the day when the Dai calendar came.