Water Splashing Festival of Deang Ethnic Group
De’ang people, followers of Hinayana Buddhism, celebrate several significant festivals each year, including “Jinwa” (Close-the-Door) and “Chuwa” (Open-the-Door), along with the Water-Splashing Festival.
- Jinwa and Chuwa: These festivals mark the occasions when the Buddha statue is taken into and out of the temple. They are observed with rituals, sermons, prayers, and the cleansing of the Buddha statue to wash away any impurities.
- Water-Splashing Festival: Lasting three to five days and typically held in mid-April, this festival is a joyous celebration of the New Year. Before the festival, preparations are made, including acquiring new clothes, preparing special food like miba (rice-based food), and creating water dragons and containers for splashing water. The festival begins with Buddhists gathering in a temple to build a cottage and water dragon to wash the Buddha statue. On the festival day, everyone dresses in their finest attire and marches into the temple for sermons and prayers. A pagoda is constructed with sand near the temple, and the Buddha statue is placed inside a cottage built within the temple. A ritual washing of the statue is performed, with water poured from the dragon’s mouth, symbolizing blessings for the new year. Flowers dipped in water are then splashed onto the crowd as a blessing. The celebration continues with young men carrying buckets of water over their heads and dripping it onto the hands of elders, wishing them happiness and health. The festival culminates in joyful singing, dancing, and splashing water, symbolizing good luck and blessings for the year ahead.
- Courtship: The Water-Splashing Festival also serves as a platform for young people to court each other. Instead of the Dai people’s tradition of “throwing bags,” the De’ang people present bamboo baskets to express their affection. Young men weave baskets before the festival and offer them to the girls they admire. The girl’s choice of basket on the Water-Splashing Day indicates her romantic preference, and the chosen young man expresses his affection by splashing water on her, symbolizing mutual joy and happiness.
