When is the Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna? What does the Water Splashing Festival symbolize?

The Water Splashing Festival, also known as the "Buddha Bathing Festival" or "Lenghe Shanghan", is a traditional festival of the Dai, Achang, Bulang, Wa, Deang, Thai-speaking peoples and Southeast Asia. Some friends want to know why people use the Water Splashing Festival to commemorate Li Liang? Then let's continue reading!

Contents of this article

1. When is the Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna?

2. What does the Water Splashing Festival symbolize?

3. Why do people use the Water Splashing Festival to commemorate Li Liang?

When is the Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna?

The Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna is held from April 13 to 15. The Water Splashing Festival, also known as the "Buddha Bathing Festival" or "Lenghe Shanghan", is a traditional festival of the Dai, Achang, Bulang, Wa, Deang, Thai-speaking peoples and Southeast Asia. On that day, people get up early in the morning to bathe and worship Buddha, and then start a few days of celebrations. During the period, everyone splashes each other with pure water, praying to wash away the bad luck of the past year.

What does the Water Splashing Festival symbolize?

The Water Splashing Festival symbolizes blessing and washes away the bad luck of the past year.

The Water-Splashing Festival is a comprehensive stage that showcases the Dai people's traditional culture, including water culture, music and dance culture, food culture, clothing culture, and folk beliefs. It is an important window for studying the history of the Dai people and has high academic value.

Why do people use the Water Splashing Festival to commemorate Li Liang

Legend has it that a long time ago, a Dai village inhabited by the Jinsha River, deep in the dense forest, caught fire and the villagers were in danger of being engulfed by the fire. A Dai man named Li Liang, in order to protect the village, rushed out of the fire net without fear of danger, picked up buckets of river water from the Jinsha River, and poured them on the forest fire. After a day and a night of hard work, the forest fire was finally put out and the villagers were saved. Li Liang was exhausted from sweating and fell on the top of the mountain. The villagers fetched clean water for Li Liang to quench his thirst, but he could not quench his thirst even after drinking ninety-nine buckets of water. Later, Li Liang jumped into the river, turned into a giant dragon, and went down the river. Some people say that he turned into a big tree. In order to commemorate Li Liang, the Dai people clean their houses and sprinkle green pine leaves on them on the third day of the third lunar month every year. They also build a green shed half a mile long with green trees by the river or well, and sprinkle thick pine needles under the shed. On both sides, they put water troughs filled with water. When the sun is at its highest at noon, people walk under the shed and sprinkle water on each other with pine branches to express their remembrance of Li Liang and their blessings for the new year. This activity continues to this day and has become the Water Splashing Festival for the Dai people to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, and to wish good luck.