Word: dai
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...unexpected effects of the drought in Yunnan has been to give the Dai this opportunity to return to the roots of a festival that has been largely co-opted by visitors to the province. Traditionally, Cable explains, water-splashing was not as essential to the New Year as other rituals like the slaughtering of buffalo. "But," she says, "animal sacrifice isn't great for tourism." What's more, the Dai did not always engage in unruly street battles using buckets filled to the icy brim and unforgiving water pistols. Writes Thai folklorist Phya Anuman Rajadhon: "The water-throwing later degenerated...
...douse, one's family and neighbors with flower stems and tree branches that had been dipped in water as a sign of reverence. "When I was young, first we had to splash our grandparents and parents to show our respect," says Mie Duc Hong, a 40-year-old Dai woman who lives in the Yunnanese village of Manchunman. "Then we could go splash our friends. It was a lot of fun. But it wasn't like it is now where people get so wet. We just sprinkled them with drops of water, not whole basins full." Zheng Peng, a member...
...This time around, Yunnan is expected to receive far fewer visitors than usual for the celebration. Chinese travel agencies report that hotel bookings in Dai-populated areas have tapered off. Candy Wei, a travel adviser at China Highlights, which offers customized tours and cruises in the region, says that she has had relatively few inquiries about participating in the event. "We suspect that the drought has severely affected our customers' itineraries in Yunnan." Those places accustomed to welcoming hordes of tourists, like Xishuangbanna's capital city of Jinghong, have previously been characterized by the most boisterous water-splashing celebrations; there...
...Dai Minority Park, an "ethnic theme park" that actually encompasses five Dai villages (Mie Duc Hong's community is one of them), the annual tradition has strayed furthest from its tranquil origins. There, the water-splashing portion of the festival is organized in a shallow pool every day at 3:30 p.m. Cable describes the spectacle as a "large-scale wet-T-shirt contest." For $5, tourists can rent plastic basins for splashing each other and scantily-clad Dai women. "Authenticity is much less important than entertainment in China," says Cable. "Tourists don't come to see authentic rituals. They...
...occasion of the New Year, when deities would visit the land of the living. Since at this time the gods are so close, it is also an opportune moment to ask for precipitation; splashing therefore becomes a way of praying for plenty. By sprinkling water, the Dai, like the Indians before them, should be attempting to entice rainfall. It is a most basic appeal, but one that is easily forgotten in the disorder of the holiday. Perhaps not this year, though. "When it rains during the New Year's festival, it's particularly auspicious," says Cable. "It's supposed...