How to respect the customs and habits of the Dai people

It is taboo for outsiders to ride horses, drive cattle, carry burdens, and enter the stockade with unkempt hair; When entering the Dai bamboo building, you should take off your shoes outside the door, and walk lightly in the house; You cannot sit above or over the fire, enter the master's inner chamber, or sit on the threshold; You can't move the tripod on the fire, and you can't step on the fire with your feet; taboo whistle and nail clipping at home; It is forbidden to use clothes as pillows or sit on pillows; When drying clothes, the top should be dried at a high place, and the pants and skirts should be dried at a low place; When entering the Buddhist temple, you must take off your shoes, and it is taboo to touch the head of the little monk, the Buddha statue, the spear, the flag and a series of Buddhist holy objects. You can't just make a loud noise.

The characteristics of the Dai people mainly include the following aspects:

1. Faith. In terms of religion, the Dai people in the frontier generally believe in Theravada Buddhism, which belongs to Theravada Buddhism, while retaining the remnants of primitive ghost worship. The Dai people in the interior worship the "dragon god" and "dragon tree", and there are religious professionals "Bomeng" and "Shi Niang", who divinate and cure diseases on behalf of others.

In Jinggu and other areas, there are also people who believe in Theravada Buddhism.

2. Clothing. Xishuangbanna Dai women, wearing white or crimson underwear, small waists, wide hems, and various colored tube skirts. Women in Dehong Mangshi and other places wore light-colored cardigans, trousers, and small waistbands before marriage, and changed to cardigans and black tube skirts after marriage.

Dai men wear collarless plackets or small sleeved shirts, long trousers, and feel in cold weather, and mostly wrap their heads with white cloth or green cloth. The custom of tattooing men is very common, not only to show bravery, but also to ward off evil spirits and decorate the body.

3. Diet. The staple food of the Dai people is mainly rice. Japonica rice is eaten in Dehong area, and glutinous rice is eaten in Xishuangbanna and other places, usually eaten freshly.

The famous fragrant bamboo rice of the Dai nationality is also known as bamboo tube rice. The Dai also eat insects. The Dai area is humid and hot, and there are many kinds of insects.

The use of moss in the dish is a unique flavor dish of the Dai people. Raw, fresh, sour, spicy and wild are the characteristics of Dai cuisine.

4. Construction. The dry-column building is a characteristic of the Dai people's residence. The bamboo buildings of the Dai people in Xishuangbanna and Dehong Ruili have a unique style.

The building is nearly square, with two floors up and down, the upper floor is inhabited, about 7 feet from the ground, and the lower floor has no wall, which is used to raise livestock and pile up things, and the top is a double slope, and it is mostly covered with a "grass row" made of braiding.

5. Language and writing.

The Dai people have their own national language, which is called Dai, Thai, Lao, etc. due to their distribution, and belongs to the Taiwanese branch of the Dongtai language group (Zhuang-Dong language family) of the Sino-Tibetan language family.

5. Martial arts. Martial arts are called "Fenquan" in the Dai language of Xishuangbanna, and "Fenquan" in the Dehong area. In the past, the Dai men arrived.

Ten. At the age of four or five, they generally have to learn several sets of martial arts movements for self-defense, defending against enemies, and defending against wild beasts. Yongle Village in Tengchong County, where men, women and children practice martial arts, is known as the "hometown of Dai martial arts".