泼水节的英文介绍

泼水节的英文介绍
泼水节的英文介绍

泼水节的英文介绍
Water-Splashing Festival Of The Dais
The Dai is the biggest ethnic group in Yunnan Province,which is home to about half of China's 55 minority nationalities.Legend goes that in ancient times,the ancestors of the Dai people tried to find a place to settle down.They walked along rivers,from on place to another.At least,they found an oasis on the Tropic of Cancer.Since then they have had close relation with water.
That oasis today is known as Xishuang Banna,a beautiful place in the southern part of Yunnan Province.The area is subtropical,with plenty of rainfall.According to Chinese documents of the ninth century,the Dai had a fairly well developed agriculture.They used oxen and elephants to till the land,grew lots of rice and had an extensive irrigation system.But when referring to the Dai nationality,people think about water.The custom of water-splashing is an unforgettable experience to many tourists.An American tourist,who had no idea about the custom until he visited a Dai village,describes his experience this way:
"I was intrigued by the Dai people's custom of splashing water on one another.When a lovely,young Dai girl approached me with a pail of water,at first she dunked a small branch of leaves in the water,then touched me gently with the wet leaves.But shortly afterward,the fun began.At least for her!She and other Dai ladies threw entire buckets of water on unsuspecting me and everyone else who happened to be enjoying this little ritual." The water-splashing reaches a climax in the Water-Splashing Festival,by which the Dai people ring out the old and bring in the new,as the festival marks the beginning of a new year in the Dai calendar.
There are a lot of folk tales about the origin of the festival.Here is one.Long long ago,there lived a tyrant in the Dai village.He stopped at no evil.He burned,killed and looted wherever he went.No one could get rid of him,because he was very powerful.He was afraid of neither water nor fire.One day,he came across a beautiful Dai girl.He already had six wives and he wanted that girl as his seventh.So he married her.His wives,all kind-hearted women,utterly detested the barbarous acts of the tyrant and decided to kill him in order to protect the innocent people.However,they were too weak to challenge him.They had to wait.One day,the tyrant came back with lots of trophies.That night,he got drunk.The seventh wife,his favorite,thought it was the right time to act."Your Majesty," she said to the tyrant,"You're the strongest person in the world.So,you can live as long as you want." The tyrant was overjoyed.Being drunk,he was not as cautious as usual."My dear," he said,"I have a fatal weakness.If my hair twists around my neck,I'll die." His wife memorized those words.When the tyrant fell asleep,the women began to act.They twisted his hair around his neck,and the tyrant died.But as soon as his head feel onto the ground,a big fire began.The women had no choice but to hold his head with their hands,doing it in turns,one for a year.Each time one wife finished her turn and passed on the head,the others would splash water on her to wash away bloodstains.And splashing water on one another became a way to vanquish the devil and symbolically express the wish for better times ahead.Water splashing became a symbol of good luck,a way to wish good fortune to strangers,friends and family alike.
The Water-Splashing Festival is in mid-April and lasts three to five days.During the festival,the door of every home is decorated with multicolored paper-cuts.All the villagers dress in their holiday best.Sheep and cows are slaughtered for feasting,plus delicious glutinous rice cakes,rice noodles,and rice wine.The occasion is marked by a variety of entertainment,including singing and dancing,fireworks-displaying,boat-racing and exhibiting air-borne lanterns.But the most popular event is still water-splashing.An American tourist tells what he sees there:"The first day of the mid-April Water-Splashing Festival is devoted to a giant market.On the second day,there are dragon-boat races.And the third day is what I'll call a water-splashing 'free for all'.It's impossible to get too hot,because the Dai people will drench you with water all day long.Dancing and game-playing occupy the evenings during the festival.With the Dai people's sincere wish for your good fortune,as they sprinkle you lightly,then soak you to the skin,to be sure,your days will be filled with the greatest possible prosperity and happiness." Water is the most precious thing to the Dai people.
In the song "Ode to Dripping Water",we discover that water for the Dai is the source of life and the embodiment of justice and truth.Dripping water,you soak into the fields,/ You turn the ground into a green ocean,/ To make the world cool and refreshing forever./ Dripping water,you're the source of life,/ When you nurture the creatures on earth,/ Wash away all their worries and misfortunes,/ Cleanse them of their selfishness and greediness,/ And keep them safe and sound forever.Most Dai villages are on the plains,near rivers and streams,and among clusters of bamboo.No important ceremonies,such as those of wedding,funeral and birth,will take place without water.When a young couple get married,the old man who presides over the wedding ceremony will sprinkle water on them to wish a happy time and a good future.
Most of the Dai people still prefer water burials.Before the ceremony,a respected old man will recite a funeral oration.Holding a gourd which is full of water,he chants:Pour out the holy water,Like tears rolling down our cheeks,As drop by drop,it falls on the sorrowful land.If you miss your descendants on earth,Please turn into a big bodhi tree,Standing by the roadside,Soothing everyone passing by,Serving as a straw hat on hot summer days,And as an umbrella in the rain.As the funeral oration indicates,religion is also an important element in Dai people's life.They are generally followers of Buddhism.There are many Buddhist temples in the countryside.Boys at the age of seven or eight will go to the temples to learn to read,write and chant scriptures.Some Dai festivals are closely related to religious activities.The "Door-Closing" for example,marks the start of the three months of intensive religious activities beginning in the middle of the sixth month on the lunar calendar.As it is the hot season with a lot of rain,people do little farm work.They stay home to pray or go to temples to pay religious homage to Buddha.Marriage is forbidden during the "Door-Closing" period.So when the "Door-Opening" comes round,it means the return to normal life.Young men and women choose their lovers by tossing embroidered balls.Once they have picked their partners,they sing and dance together.