Splashing out to celebrate tradition

Water festival marks New Year for Dai ethnic group as misfortune washed away

As the April sun bathes Yunnan province in golden light, the Dai ethnic inhabitants have transformed their homeland into a jubilant aquatic playground for the annual poshuijie, or water splashing festival, which has attracted visitors from China and abroad.

The water splashing festival is one of the most important events for the Dai people, who mark the event as New Year and organize activities like splashing water, releasing Kongming lanterns into the sky, and dragon boat races. It was listed as State-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

The festival symbolizes washing away the past year's misfortunes and welcoming new beginnings through purification.