The Water Festival is the New Year in the Dai calendar, It usually takes place in mid-April and lasts three to seven days. The Water Festival is celebrated by over 1. 3 milion Dai people living in China, mainly in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna and Dehong.
There are many kinds of activities during the festival, such as exciting water splashing ( 泼 水 ) , amazing dance and music performances and some other traditional activities. During these days, people dress up in traditional clothes and splash water on anyone passing by. It means washing away the unhappiness and the bad luck during the last year, so the good things will be around. The more water people get, the more luck they will get in the coming year.
Besides, people of all ages get together in the village square, where men, women and children dance in a circle to the beat of the elephant-foot drums (象脚鼓). The Dai elephant-foot drum dance is not only a way for the Dai people to express their joy, but also a reflection(反映) of their village culture. In the evening, thousands of people light up sky lanterns by Lancang River. It is a traditional folk activity and is regarded as a way for people to send their best wishes.
Nowadays, as more and more tourists join in this exciting festival, it has become a great chance to show Dai water culture as well as its music and dance culture.
