The customs of Songkran, the origin and customs of Songkran

Songkran first originated in Persia in the 5th century A.D., when it was named "Songhan Hu Opera", after which "Songkran Hu Opera" was introduced from Persia to Myanmar, Thailand and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China via India. Around the end of the twelfth century, "Pohan Hu Opera" was introduced to the Dai region of Yunnan Province in China through Burma along with Buddhism. The custom of the Songkran Festival is that the men, women and children of the Dai nationality put on festive costumes, carry clear water, first go to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha, and then take the collected flowers and leaves to dip in water, and begin to splash water on each other.

When the Songkran Festival comes, the Dai family is busy killing pigs, chickens, and winemaking, and they also make a lot of "millinoso" (rice cakes) and a variety of baba made of glutinous rice to eat during the festival.

During the Songkran Festival, up to seventy or eighty-year-old old bumpers, down to seven drafts of noisy branches and eight-year-old dolls, put on festive costumes, gather in the village square, men, women and children in a circle, and dance to the beat of the mangong elephant foot drum. Some dance the "Peacock Dance"; Some dance "Jade Lahe"; Some improvised and danced while singing keys, while others drank while dancing.

Songkran is also a beautiful 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 nationality like to play a game of "packet loss". The flower bag in the girl's hand made of flower cloth is a token of love.

The origin of Songkran:

Songkran first originated in Persia in the 5th century A.D. when it was named "Songhan Hu Opera", after which "Songkran Hu Opera" was introduced from Persia to Myanmar, Thailand and Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China via India.

and other places, which were introduced to China with Buddhism through Burma in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries AD.

Dai region of Yunnan. With the deepening of the influence of Buddhism in the Dai Dibu Li area, the Songkran Festival has become a national custom.

Customs: When the Songkran Festival comes, the Dai family is busy killing pigs, chickens, and wine, and making a lot of "millinoso" (rice cakes) and a variety of baba made of glutinous rice, which are eaten in the festival.

Time. Songkran lasts for three days: the first day is "Mai Day", similar to the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the Dai language is called "Wanduo Shanghan", which means to send the old. At this time, people have to clean up the house, clean up, and prepare various activities such as dragon boat rowing, high ascension, and theatrical performances during the New Year's dinner and festivals.

The next day is called "annoyed day", "annoyed" means "empty", according to the custom this day neither belongs to the previous year, nor belongs to the next year, so it is the "empty day", this day usually holds a water splashing activity, commemorating the heavenly maiden who is the people's type with the search and elimination of harm, with holy water to eliminate disasters and avoid difficulties, and wish each other peace and happiness.

The third day is called "Maipaya Late Ma", it is said that the heroic spirit of this Maipaya Late Ma returns to the world with the new calendar, and 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 Songkran Festival first originated in Persia in the 5th century AD, when it was named "Pohan Hu Opera", after which "Pohan Hu Opera" was introduced from Persia to Myanmar, Thailand and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China, through Myanmar to Buddhism in the late 12th to early 13th centuries A.D. With the deepening of the influence of Buddhism in the Dai area, the Songkran Festival has become a national custom and has been handed down.

The Splashing Spike Festival is the most solemn festival of the Dai nationality, and it is also the festival with the largest influence and the largest number of participants among the ethnic minorities in Yunnan. Songkran is the New Year of the Dai people, which corresponds to the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar and generally lasts for 3 to 7 days. People regard Songkran as the most beautiful, auspicious and happiest day.

Customs: Before the Songkran Festival, in order to welcome the Songkran Festival, every Dai family is busy killing pigs and making various snacks with glutinous rice. On the first day of Songkran, people clean up their houses, and after eating the New Year's dinner, they will carry out various activities such as dragon boating and cultural performances.

The second day of Songkran is known as the "Annoyed Day", and according to legend, on this day, a celestial maiden used holy water to ward off disasters for the people.

Therefore, people usually hold water splashing activities to wish each other peace and happiness; The third day is called "Maipaya Evening Ma", and it is said that this day is the day when the heroic spirit of Maipaya Evening Ma returns to the world with the new calendar, so it is assumed that Lalao used to regard this day as such"The king of the days is coming"It is also the New Year's Day of the Dai calendar.

The Songkran Festival first originated in Persia in the 5th century AD, after which it was introduced from Persia to Myanmar, Thailand and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China, through India, and to the Dai region of Yunnan in China through Burma with Buddhism in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Songkran festival customs activities include splashing water, rushing to swing, dragon boat racing, bathing Buddha, chanting, Zhangha singing, peacock dance, white elephant dance performance, etc.

Songkran is a New Year's festival for ethnic minorities such as Dai, Achang, Brown, Wa, and De'ang in China, as well as some ethnic groups in Indochina. It is the grandest traditional festival of the year for the Dai people. The Chinese Dai festival is in June and July of the Dai calendar (about 10 days after the Qingming Festival).

It is now fixed on April 13-15 of the Gregorian calendar.

Songkran activity process:

The first day of Songkran is similar to the Chinese New Year's Eve, where people clean up their houses, clean up, prepare various activities such as dragon boat rowing, ascension, and theatrical performances between New Year's dinner and festival bends. On the second day, a water splashing activity is usually held to commemorate the goddess who eliminated harm for the people, to eliminate disasters and avoid disasters with holy water, and to wish peace and happiness to each other; The third day is called "Maipaya Wanma", and it is said that this is the day when the heroic spirit of Maipaya Wanma returns to the earth with the new calendar, and people are accustomed to regard this day as such"The king of the days is coming", is the New Year's Day of the Dai calendar.

Every Songkran Festival, the Dai people go to the nearby mountains to collect some flowers and leaves, on the day of the festival, the Dai men, women and children put on the festival costumes, carry the water, first go to the Buddhist temple to bathe the Buddha, and then take the collected flowers and leaves to dip in the water, and begin to splash water on each other.

The above content refers to Encyclopedia - Songkran.

The customs of Songkran are as follows:

In the early morning of the first day of the festival, people collect flowers and green leaves to worship in the Buddhist temple, and build a tower with sand in the temple.

Four or five, secular beings sit around the tower, listen to the Buddha chanting, and then carry the Buddha statue to the courtyard, and the women of the whole village carry the clear water to wash the dust of the Buddha statue. After the Buddhist temple ceremony, young men and women withdrew from splashing water on each other for play, so the mass water splashing activity began.

People use copper bowls, basins and even buckets to hold water, and they rush out of the streets and alleys, frolicking and chasing, and splashing when they meet people. Folks believe that this is auspicious water, blessed water, can eliminate disasters and diseases, so people splash as much as they want, pour as much as they want, whether they are splashed or splashed, although they are soaked from head to toe, but they are still very happy.

In addition to splashing water, there are also mass singing and dancing activities. From seventy or eighty-year-old people to seven or eighteen-year-old dolls, dressed in festive costumes, they came to the village square, where men, women and children gathered in a circle and danced to the beat of mangong and elephant foot drums.

Some dance the "Peacock Dance", some dance the "Jade Lahe", and some improvise, singing and dancing at the same time, with beautiful movements, distinct rhythms, and moving singing. When jumping to the elation, it may erupt in cheers of "water, water, water", or end with the singing of "Yulahe, Yulahe". Some men drank while dancing, and they were so drunk that they stayed up all night, and even fell drunk on the dance floor.

During the festival, on the wide Lancang River, a dragon boat race is held. Dozens of young men and women rowed forward with dozens of young men and women, and the spectators on both sides of the strait were like clouds, and the sound of gongs and drums and cheers resounded in the sky. After the competition, the winners came to the rostrum to receive the prize and drink the celebratory wine.