Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture is the home of 13 indigenous ethnic groups including the Dai, Han, Hani, Lahu, Bulang, Jinuo, Yi and Yao, and minority population of the Prefecture has amounted to 660,000, or 75.2% of the prefectural total. While living harmoniously together on this patch of land, the ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna have jointly created the Prefecture’s long-standing and splendid culture, as well as their own folk customs and ethnic cultures, each of which shows unique characteristics.
The Dai people worship the Theravada Buddhism, and build Buddhist temples and towers in every village. The magnificent, exquisite and ancient Buddhist temples and towers have already become the embodiment of the Dai culture. In mid-April each year, the Dai people celebrate their traditional Water Splashing Festival, which is the New Year on the Dai calendar. During the festival, the Dai people would hold traditional activities such as dragon boat racing, bathing the Buddha, going to the fair, and launching bamboo-rockets and Kong Ming lanterns. The Water Splashing Carnival marks the climax of the festivities, at which people beat gongs and drums, sing and dance, and sprinkle lucky water on one another to express blessings. The Water Splashing Festival, which has won the fame of “oriental carnival”, has been listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritage.
Hani is the second largest ethnic minority in Xishuangbanna in terms of population. Gatangpa Festival is the major traditional celebration of the Hani minority, at which the Hani people from different villages would hold festive activities such as playing the swing, dancing the traditional bamboo cylinder dance and bamboo pole dance, all of which showcase the colorful folk customs of the Hani ethnic minority.
Jinuo is unique ethnic minority who exclusively inhabit within Xishuangbanna Prefecture. Believing in that they were reborn from a giant drum, the Jinuo people would hold the drum-worshipping rite every year. On that day, the Jinuo people would joyously dance the “giant drum dance” and chant traditional songs. This is the “Temoke Festival” of the Jinuo minority.
The Bulang, Lahu, Yao and Yi ethnic minorities inhabiting Xishuangbanna areas also have their respective ethnic culture and art, each of which shows unique features. The “Lahukuo Festival” of the Lahu minority, the “Panwang Festival” of the Yao minority and the “Baishijia Festival” of the Yi minority are celebrated in dissimilar forms, yet each shows unique and colorful features.
The mysterious folk customs, unique housing architecture and intense traditional culture of respective ethnic minorities have formed the eye-catching panorama of Xishuangbanna, which holds special appeal to tourists from home and abroad.
