De ang Watering Festival

De ang Watering Festival

The De'ang Water-Sprinkling Festival (also known as the Water-Sprinkling Festival) is held seven days after the Qingming Festival every year. It is a three-day commemorative event that combines the three dates of Buddha's birth, Taoism and Nirvana. It is the most important festival of the De'ang people in the year, and it is also an activity that can best embody the traditional culture of the De'ang people. It is not only a ceremony for the people of the De'ang people to celebrate the New Year, but also a good time for young men and women to talk about love and find their sweethearts.

The watering festival in Donggua Village, De'ang Township, Santai Mountain, Luxi City, Yunnan Province, is a festival that keeps its own characteristics relatively intact. The watering festival begins on the 7th day after the Qingming Festival, usually for 3 to 5 days. Water-sprinkling Festival has the same connotation as Dai's Water-Splashing festival, but its activities are quite different.

On June 7, 2008, the De'ang Watering Festival was approved by the State Council to be included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

Folk custom history

De'ang (formerly known as Banglong) is one of the minority nationalities in China. The current population is 15 462, located in the subtropical and semi-mountainous areas, mostly bamboo and wood buildings.

The De'ang people living in Dehong area call themselves "De'ang", while those living in Zhenkang and Gengma counties call themselves "Neon" or "Naon". "Ang" is the national self-proclaimed meaning "mountain rock" and "cave". "De", "Ni", "Na" are adjuncts of honorific terms.

The De'ang people have their own language and writing. The language belongs to the Wade Ang branch of the Mon-Khmer language family of the South Asian language family. Characters are not widely circulated. They are mainly used to record the history, morality, laws and regulations of the nation and to write Buddhist sutras. Many people are familiar with Dai, Chinese or Jingpo.

There are many legends about the origin of "Watering Flowers Festival":

One is a disobedient son who works on the mountain on the seventh day after the Qingming Festival. He sees the situation of the chicks feeding back, and has a feeling, and is determined to serve his mother well. At this time, his mother was walking up the hill to deliver food for her son. She slipped and his son came to help her, but she thought his son was going to hit her and hit her head in a tree. The son regretted that he cut down the tree and carved a statue of his mother. Every year on the seventh day after the Qingming Dynasty, the statue was washed in warm water sprinkled with petals, which later evolved into a custom.

One is that in ancient times, seven fairies went down to earth to bathe in the lake and were found by the dragon-breaking people. They flew back to heaven and told the dragon-breaking people when they flew that if they missed them, they could make a statue of Buddha and wash them with water every year.

One is that Sakyamuni, in order to care for the sufferings of the people in the world, tells the people of the avalanche dragon to take a bucket of water and pour it on the Buddha's body every year to save the people. The other is that when Sakyamuni Buddha flies back to heaven, he leaves a scripture and asks the people of the avalanche dragon to hold the festival of piling up sand every year, and sprinkles water on the Buddha. The Buddha will bless the people of the avalanche dragon to be lucky and safe. Gu Fengdeng.

Folk activities

Holiday program

On the first day, the group listened to Buddha's chanting in the temple; on the second day, bathed the statue of Buddha; on the third day, the younger generation of each family should prepare a basin of hot water and bring it to the center of the hall, invite the elders of the family out to sit in the hall, and kowtow to ask them to forgive the unfilial place of the younger generation in one year. The elders also reviewed the inadequacies in setting an example for the younger generation. Then, the younger generation washes hands and feet for the elders, and wishes each other peace and good luck in the coming year. They can splash water on each other in the afternoon.

Main activities

Splashing blessing

The De'ang people's watering Festival is usually held around the middle of April in the Gregorian calendar, usually for 3-5 days. Near the festival, people are busy making new clothes, rice pudding and water splashing tools such as water hoses and buckets. Old followers gathered in Buddhist temples to build houses and water dragons to wash the dust of Sakyamuni statues during the Water Sprinkling Festival. In the early morning of the festival, people dressed in costumes go to Buddhist temples to offer sacrifices and listen to Buddhist sutras. And build towers around the Buddhist temple, and then carry the Buddha statue to the dust house in the temple, holding a ceremony for the Buddha to wash dust. The believers pour the cleanest water into the water dragon. The water flows out of the Dragon mouth. The bamboo trough in the dragon mouth and the cabin flows to the Buddha statue and sprinkles all over the Buddha statue. Then, by the respected elderly holding flowers, dipping in water gently sprinkled around the crowd, to wish you all good luck, congratulations on the beginning of the New Year. At this time, people began to get excited and congratulated each other on the New Year. In the elephant foot drum music and singing, young people hold the water tube high above their heads and sprinkle water on the hands of the elderly, wishing them a happy life, health and longevity. Old people stretch out their hands, hold water in their hands, and recite congratulations and blessings for young people. After this ceremony, people take the elephant foot drum as the lead, line up, crowding to the spring, riverside, singing, dancing, chasing each other, splashing water. From head to foot, the whole body is wet. This is auspicious water, blessed water, people pour it heartily, whether it is the sprinkler or the sprinkler, are very happy, laughing loudly.

Valentine's Day

Watering the Flowers Festival is not only a celebration of the New Year for the De'ang people, but also a good time for young men and women to talk about love and find their sweethearts. However, unlike Dai people's "lost bags", De'ang people have a custom of giving bamboo baskets. Before the festival, the young man will quietly weave several beautiful bamboo baskets, and take a quiet night to visit girls, the baskets will be given to their favorite girls. The most beautiful one, to give their favorite girl, in order to express their love, test the reaction of the other party. Therefore, at this time, every girl often receives several bamboo baskets, but who does the girl really love? It depends on who gave her the bamboo basket on the back of the girl on the Water Sprinkling Festival. On this day, every girl carries a delicate and beautiful bamboo basket on her back, but who cares? Now the boys were busy. They opened their eyes and stared at the bamboo baskets on the girls. They carefully recognized whether their sweetheart was carrying the one they had given her. When they meet each other, they splash water and play with each other to express their excitement and joy.

Activity process

Buddha's first pot of water

On the day before the Flower Festival, people had to build a temporary "barn" in the center of the village and set up two wooden dragon body sinks. The dragon body flume, about 10 meters long, is parallel to the outside of the Zangfang. The tail of another dragon body flume about 6 meters long intersects with the tail of that big dragon body flume. Among them, about two meters of the flume body passes through the "Zangfang". The water in the flume above the intersection of the two dragon body flumes can flow into the lower flume, and there is a downward outlet at the bottom of the central part of the "Zangfang" flume body. The mouth is connected with a rotating device, which, when flowing underwater, evenly sprinkles the flowing water on the Buddha statues around it. Bath Buddha is the central content of "Watering Flowers Festival".

Valentine's Day

Watering the Flowers Festival is not only a celebration of the New Year for the De'ang people, but also a good time for young men and women to talk about love and find their sweethearts. However, unlike Dai people's "lost bags", De'ang people have a custom of giving bamboo baskets. Before the festival, the young man will quietly weave several beautiful bamboo baskets, and take a quiet night to visit girls, the baskets will be given to their favorite girls. The most beautiful one, to give their favorite girl, in order to express their love, test the reaction of the other party. Therefore, at this time, every girl often receives several bamboo baskets, but who does the girl really love? It depends on who gave her the bamboo basket on the back of the girl on the Water Sprinkling Festival. On this day, every girl carries a delicate and beautiful bamboo basket on her back, but who cares? Now the boys were busy. They opened their eyes and stared at the bamboo baskets on the girls. They carefully recognized whether their sweetheart was carrying the one they had given her. When they meet each other, they splash water and play with each other to express their excitement and joy.

Activity process

Buddha's first pot of water

On the day before the Flower Festival, people had to build a temporary "barn" in the center of the village and set up two wooden dragon body sinks. The dragon body flume, about 10 meters long, is parallel to the outside of the Zangfang. The tail of another dragon body flume about 6 meters long intersects with the tail of that big dragon body flume. Among them, about two meters of the flume body passes through the "Zangfang". The water in the flume above the intersection of the two dragon body flumes can flow into the lower flume, and there is a downward outlet at the bottom of the central part of the "Zangfang" flume body. The mouth is connected with a rotating device, which, when flowing underwater, evenly sprinkles the flowing water on the Buddha statues around it. Bath Buddha is the central content of "Watering Flowers Festival".