Songkran Festival is a New Year's Festival for Dai, Achang, Bulang, Wa, De 'ang and some ethnic groups in Indochina Peninsula in China. This is the biggest traditional festival of the Dai people in a year.

China Dai Festival is held in June and July of the Dai calendar (around 10 days after Tomb-Sweeping Day). Now it has been fixed in the Gregorian calendar from April 13 to April 15, and the water-splashing festival in 2023 is April 13. During the festival, people throw water at each other and hold activities such as worshipping Buddha, dragon boat racing, flying high and lighting lanterns.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), new contents such as parades, cultural performances, film evenings, exhibitions and material exchanges were added. Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and other countries celebrate this festival in mid-April of the Gregorian calendar every year.

The role of water-splashing festival

Water-splashing Festival is a comprehensive stage to display the traditional culture of Dai people, such as water culture, music and dance culture, food culture, costume culture and folk worship. It is an important window to study the Dai history and has high academic value.

The artistic performances such as palm-dancing and white elephant dance displayed in the Water-splashing Festival are helpful to understand the national characteristics of the Dai people, such as understanding nature, respecting Buddha in love the water, and being gentle and calm.

At the same time, the Songkran Festival is also an important link to strengthen the great unity of the people of all ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna, which has played a positive role in the friendly cooperation and exchanges between Xishuangbanna and Southeast Asian countries and promoted the social, economic and cultural development of Xishuangbanna.