Showdown in old Jinggu Town

We're in Yunnan during the Water Splashing festival. This is a four day holiday for the Dai Minority, celebrating their deliverance from the Demon King by twelve brave women. In gratitude the local people splashed water over them to wash the blood off their clothes.

The Dai are elegant people, and dress in bright and colourful clothes. the women dress particularly stylishly on festival days. We were asked if we would like to experience the festival, and were keen to do so. My expectation as a foreign visitor was to have water gently flicked over me by the graceful fingertips of women in traditional costume. Not exactly.

Ready for Water Splashing

We arrived in Jinggu town to find families in the streets tooled up with all manner of water fighting weaponry - buckets, water bombs, water pistols, turbo-charged back pack water guns. In the street, on balconies, on roofs. And of course when we arrived we immediately became VERY popular. Three of us ended up walking down the street like gunslingers, outnumbered several hundred to one. Word soon got around, and attacks were often accompanied by cheerful shouts of "Pleased to meet you!!". I don't think I have ever been so wet.

In the end we needed to retreat and were offered sanctuary in the back yard of a restaurant, where we sat in the sun and gradually dried out. As per usual I attracted some attention, with one old gentleman fascinated by my general size and particularly my tummy, revealed in all its glory when I had to strip off my shirt. He demonstrated his general disapproval by flicking his hand at me with the index and little fingers pointing outwards, in a "down with the kids" kind of way. I'm sure it was a bit ruder than that. Despite this minor irritation, it was a happy time sitting with the family and sharing some food. And the gentleman and I shared some of his rice wine.

Nothing about tea in this post, but it's all part of being over here and will linger in the memory. We should definitely have a Water Splashing Day at home.