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The population of Dai is over about 1 million. They
have been living in the beautiful and richly endowed tropical and
sub-tropical flatlands for a long time.
Xishuangbanna, Dehong Prefecture, Menglian and Jinggu counties in
Simao, Gengma and Shuangjiang counties in Lincang Prefecture,
Xinping and Yuanjiang counties of Yuxi Prefecture, and Jinping
county in Honghe Prefecture are the regions where the Dais live in
compact communities. The Dai is an ethnic group with
a long history.Their ancestors were one tribe of the Baiyue
people. The Dai people were addressed differently in different
periods of time such as "Shan", "Jinchi", and "Baiyi". They call
themselves "Dai ", "Daile", or "Daiya". "Dai" means "people who
ardently love freedom and peace ". The Dai nationality is divided
into three branches, the Han Dai, the Shui Dai and the Huayao Dai.
The first scene is buildings by buildings of bamboo cottage hidden
by green trees when you come to Daizu village. Daizu
people have a long bamboo construction history of thousand years,
this construction style is very suitable for southern subtropical
climate. Their bamboo cottage consists of two floors which is same
as that of Achang people, the cool and dry above floor is living
room and bed room, which for people and the nether for livestock,
with a balcony, where people can air clothes and enjoy fresh air
and breeze. Building cottage is the most important
thing in Daizu people' daily life. They must select a good ground,
prepare eight pillars. During the building period, Daizu people
are very hospitable and warm hearted. The visitors pass by their
village should share a big bowl of alcohol with the host, and the
host will let the visitors drink as much as they can to present
his respecting. Villagers come to entrance of their hamlet to
invite stranger to their home because they regard the inviting
stranger as a very happy thing. If host can't get a visitor, he
must invite a respecter, if he can't get a respecter, at least, he
should invite a stone in mountain to his home. Building new house
is the greatest thing in their daily life, Daizu people dance and
sing when new bamboo house is finished, they come together
spontaneously for singing and dancing for three days. At night,
they usually fire gun salute and blow horn, and then they have
their reunion dinner. All people come from their village to help.
You will see couples by couples boys and girls susurrate and
whisper each other in bamboo jungle or beside a brook when evening
is coming, with a charming breeze. Daizu young people love freely,
but they can not be in love from Opening door festival in July to
Closing door festival in Sept. because this period is farming
season. Tattooing and dying teeth are ancient custom
of Daizu people, which is prevailing. Boy must tattoo when they
are seven years old, and girl must dye teeth in teen years old,
they think the blacker their teeth are, the prettier they are.
Daizu Nationality believe in Buddhism, there are buildings and
buildings of choiceness and unconventional and exoticism Buddhism
temple and pagoda everywhere, what a mystery and godlike scene.
In wedding, the parents tie a silk thread in hands of bride and
bridegroom to pray for a good future and bless that they can love
each other all their life. |
