I had a wonderful time visiting the Dai ethnic group.  They are good at singing and dancing and like water so much that they try to live by a lake or river.  They have a Water-splashing Festival to celebrate their New Year at which they row dragon boats and soak everyone when they go to the market.  They wish their guests happiness by sprinkling with a water-soaked branch. 

          We had planned to stay overnight at Jinghong, but there weren’t enough guest rooms there so we went to Ximao to put up for the night with the idea of returning the next day.  When we boarded the bus in the morning, however, we were surprised that so many people were armed with buckets and basins and squirt guns so they could have a water battle.    

          Upon arrival, there was a lot of water on the streets, but we thought that the sprinkling of water had probably been overstated.

          We went to a park by taxi, as there would be no water-splashing there, and we viewed tropical plants and took a lot of photos.  As it was very hot, we bought coconuts and while we were enjoying the cool, sweet milk our clothes suddenly became wet, and we heard laughter behind us.  It was from the seller who wanted to wish us happiness.

           As we were already wet, we decided to go to the streets where people were sprinkling each other.  We didn’t have squirt guns, but we got some basins and took part in the water battle like children.  We’d really go after people to get them wet.  That day we forgot how old we were and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

          There are 56 ethnic groups in China – over 20 just in Yunnan – and this article will be about our visit to a group called Wa in Ximeng.  There are about 400,000 of them in China, and the ones I'll describe live about 113 kilometers from Simao.

          The group expresses their lives with song and dance, and they’re very good at both of them.  When one of the men says that he’ll treat you to a drink, he wants to be repaid by your singing a song, and when they finish their work every day, they all want to dance.

          They adore the sun and feel that it is alive.  They’re also very fond of wooden drums, as they regard them as holy.  The head of a buffalo is regarded as good fortune.  It’s a very mysterious ethnic group.

          When they plant rice every year, they beat a wooden drum and cut off the head of an ox to invoke the deity’s help

           The wood that the drum is made of must come from a tree that has been carefully chosen, and the choice is confirmed by a ceremonious ritual.  Usually selected is a lofty chestnut, and after killing a cock to please the gods, a hunter fires two shots into the tree.  It is felled, a prayer is said, and the women carrying bamboo containers provide drinks and porridge with rice and chicken.  Then everyone drinks, eats, sings, and dances to express their joy.

          After everyone has had a good time, the tree is dragged to a special room in the village where the drum will be made.  Following another ceremony, work starts on creating it out of the trunk that has been gouged deeply and when hit with a mallet, resounds with a deep, rich sound.                                                        

           We took part in this year’s feast days of the wooden drum.  It lasted from April  10^th to the 13^th.  It was the planting season and the Wa people began the  celebration by killing an ox and some chickens.  They welcomed all the guests with drink, meat, and song.  The wine was palatable, but very strong.  A friend told me that if you drink too much, you won’t wake up for three days.  They labored, danced and sang all day, and we had a wonderful time.