Poshui Jie (Water Splashing Festival)

Poshui Jie, 泼水节, is a festival celebrated primarily by the Dai people, but also some other ethnic minorities. The name translates to Water Sprinkling Festival, as it was traditionally celebrated, or perhaps more accurately in modern times, Water Splashing Festival. This weekend I traveled with my cofellows to celebrate in Mangshi, a city about three hours from Tengchong, in the Dehong Autonomous prefecture, home to many of the Dai people and various other ethnic minorities. Having experienced Carnival in Panama, and having heard tales of Holi in India, I knew to expect chaos. But I still wasn't quite prepared for how much water there was.

For one thing, I knew that people would be throwing large amounts of water, but I didn't realize that it would come at you from all sides at anytime. Leaving the bus station and walking down the sidewalk, I was hit with the first splashings of water from a group of teenage boys in front of us. I soon realized that many people would wait until you passed them to hit you from behind. Then we got shot by water guns from people driving by in cars. And then by shop owners standing in front of their shops. Every direction.

The variety of attack methods was also impressive. There were large water guns, water balloons, buckets, hoses...basically anything that could be used to move water. The more forceful, the better. I've never had water sting so much.

So many water guns!

The shop owners were on the attack too!
Sometimes, as here, they're demonstrating their wares.
Sometimes they're just joining the fun.

"Buckets, buckets, buckets for sale." I've never seen buckets be such a hot commodity.

The main square in the city where the highest concentration of water splashing happened (though no street was exempt).

The same square seen from above, standing in front of the big building.

Trucks such as this were tarped and filled with water (and people) for lots of splashing all around the city.

Groups of marauding teenagers were common.

Three water-splashing trucks at once!

You may think this sounds awesome. You may think this sounds awful. I found it a mixed bag. There is something wonderfully fun about splashing about with water on a hot day. And the children, especially, have so much fun. But sometimes, I felt a malicious side to it. Sometimes it seemed like an excuse to be mean and aggressive. Personally, I really didn't like when people would come up and burst a water balloon with their hands right on my neck and over my backpack. That just seems unsporting. But everything goes. Nothing is off limits.

Watching the children was my favorite part. Some of them seemed so shy, but would finally get up the courage to squirt someone. They also had some pretty cute water-carriers.

Water backpack, hose, and gun (in hand).

I was quite surprised that even buses were targets. I would have thought, what's the point in splashing a bus or pelting it with water balloons? But apparently it's just as fun as splashing people.

Sitting in the bus...before...

And after!

Splashing back and forth between trucks, a motorcycle caught in the middle.

The amount of splashing on the streets made me expect accidents. I didn't see any, but there were constantly people swerving, and braking, and ducking, and attacking.

There was so much traffic and associated splashing that it took us an extra hour to get home on Sunday!