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Ethnic minority groups including the Dai and the De'ang in southwest China's Yunnan Province were in grand celebrations from Thursday to Sunday to observe the Water-Splashing Festival, feasting all participants including tourists from home and abroad with celebratory activities and delicacies full of local characteristics.
The Water-Splashing Festival, or the ethnic Dai calendar new year festival celebrated by some ethnic minority groups in China, is one of the most important festivals in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture and Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. This year, the festival fell on Sunday.
During the grand celebration, an indispensable traditional performance in the region is the peacock dance. As Dehong is known as the homeland of the ethnic dance, local performance teams had lots of final preparations before the annual Water Splashing Festival grand parade.
"We Dai people will make three curved movements of arms in performing the peacock dance,' which is to mimic peacocks walking," said Yue Lao, an inheritor to the ethnic Dai peacock dance, which is a national-level intangible cultural heritage in China.
In addition to the peacock dance, local people are also celebrating the festival with various other kinds of ethnic dances and performances, as well as a long-street banquet to entertain all participants including with local cuisines. In Mangshi City of Jingpo, the banquet consists of over 200 tables.
"The Water-Splashing Festival Glutinous Rice Cake is made with glutinous rice and brown sugar, and we wrap the dough with fresh Hardy banana leaves and steam it. This is a must-eat delicacy for our Water-Splashing Festival," said Yang Wen, deputy head of Dehong's Culture and Tourism Department.
To conclude the celebration on Sunday, a water-splashing carnival was held at the center square of Mangshi, engaging locals and tourists to splash water on everyone around to "dispel bad luck" and share best wishes. From basins to water guns, people were bringing all kinds of "weapons" to enjoy together the excitement and jolliness of the festival.