Characteristics of the Dai ethnic group:

The Dai ethnic group has a relatively wide distribution area, with a global Dai population of approximately 66 million. Mainly distributed in southwestern China, northeastern India, northwest Vietnam, northwest Cambodia, north-central Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and other regions and countries;

Most of the Dai people have the habit of eating two meals a day, with rice and glutinous rice as the staple food;

Unique Dai costumes. The clothes of Dai women are colorful and beautiful. Dai men generally wear collarless or large-breasted shirts with small sleeves, long trousers, and wrap their heads with white, green or scarlet cloth. Some wear top hats to look smart and generous;

The Dai people have their own language and text. The language is divided into three major dialects: Siam, Lanna, and Taitai, as well as several sub-dialects. Each dialect has the same grammatical structure. The pronunciation difference between adjacent dialects is very small. As the spatial distance increases, no matter what Simple communication can be carried out in local dialects;

Dai architecture is greatly influenced by the social environment and ideological customs. The main buildings are also different in different regions. The architecture of the Dai people is affected by the natural environment such as climate, altitude, terrain, and building materials, as well as the social environment such as population, economy, religion, politics, science and technology, and ideology. There are mainly beautiful and clever ganlan-style buildings represented by the Dai folk houses in Xishuangbanna. , represented by the Dai folk houses along the Yuanjiang and Honghe rivers, the thick and solid flat-topped earthen houses, as well as the elegant and gorgeous Buddhist temple buildings;

The Buddha Bathing Festival ("Shuanlan" in Dai language), also known as "Splashing Water" "Festival" originated from a ritual of Brahmanism in ancient India, and was later absorbed by Buddhism. It was introduced to the Dai area with Buddhism from the end of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th AD. With the deepening influence of Buddhism in the Dai area, the Buddha Bathing Festival has become a custom of the Dai people and has been passed down for hundreds of years.

Extended information:

The tragic song is called "Shouting the sea" in Dai language. It is sung by mother and daughter crying relative to each other when a girl gets married. The lyrics express the reluctance between mother and daughter. Religious songs are characterized by a tone close to recitation.

In addition, there are hypnotic songs, children's songs, etc. Rap music is sung by one person, accompanied by another person, and the accompaniment instruments are 筚 and Xidian respectively. The melody is closely integrated with the language, the rhythm is relatively stable, the music structure is basically the repetition of the passages, and the lyrics often rhyme.

The Dai people are a nation with a long history. As early as the first century AD, there are records about the Dai people in Chinese historical records. In the Han Dynasty, they were called "Dian Yue" and "Shan"; in the Tang and Song Dynasties, they were called "Gold Teeth", "Black Teeth" and "White Yi"; in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, they were called "Bai Yi", "Pai Yi" and "Bai Yi". ". After 1949, according to the wishes of the Dai people, it was named "Dai".

Reference materials: Dai Baidu Encyclopedia