People of the Dai ethnic group in southwest China's Yunnan started their biggest festival of the year on Thursday — the Water Splashing Festival.

This marks the official New Year celebration for over one million Dai people living in China, mainly in Xishuangbanna and Dehong prefectures of Yunnan. It generally starts in mid-April and lasts for three days.

Originating in Persia in the 5th century, the water splashing ritual spread to China at the end of the 12th century along with Hinayana Buddhism and gradually became a folk custom among the Dai. It is also widely celebrated in Thailand (Songkran), Laos (Pi Mai), Cambodia (Bom Chaul Chnam) and Myanmar (Thingyan) as their grandest festivals of the year.

On the first two days of the festival, people clean their houses, have their hair cut, and take baths. 

Various activities are also staged. Many send burning lanterns into the air, dance and sing in impromptu fashion on the streets, and watch colorful dragon boat races on the Lancang River. 

On the third day of the festival, which marks the first day of the New Year on the Dai calendar, people often visit a temple in the morning to wash Buddha statues in clean water. After bathing the Buddha, the mass water splashing begins. People use anything at hand to dunk others in water, from friends and neighbors to strangers on the street, as an expression of their wishes for good luck and prosperity for whoever is on the receiving end.

The Water Splashing Festival of the Dai people was included in China's National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.

To promote the unique charm of Dai culture and boost local tourism, many cities and counties in Yunnan host a catalog of activities during the Water Splashing Festival highlighting their cuisine, handicrafts, religion and popular forms of entertainment.