Mandan

Mandan is located in the depths of the rain forest in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, and is known as a paradise. Mandan Village is located in the Lancang River Basin, at the southern end of Xishuangbanna, with a typical tropical valley climate. Entering Mandan, everything in front of you is so shocking: dark green plants, fresh air, beautiful scenery and simple villagers. Legend has it that the son of the head of the Dai tribe in Houdan wanted to go to Oud, Laos to marry a local tribal princess. Due to a dispute over the dowry, the princess' escorting team stopped when they reached the current boundary of Mandan Village. After making up the dowry, the princess successfully married into the Dai tribe. Therefore, the Dai tribe decided to settle in the place where the princess temporarily stayed, and the place was named "Mandan". "Mandan" is a Dai transliteration. The word Man means "village, village", while the word "Dan" means "mortgage, mortgage". |There are two Buddhist temples in Mandan Village. The newly built Buddhist temple is covered with yellow glazed tiles and is the place where monks live. Next to it is a solemn and solemn old Buddhist temple, where monks chant sutras. The Dai people believe in Theravada Buddhism, which was introduced from India. Theravada Buddhism is a branch of Buddhism, that is, "Theravada Buddhism from the South". It was introduced to the Dai people in Xishuangbanna through Myanmar and Thailand. It has a history of more than a thousand years. Theravada Buddhism advocates monasticism, and most of the Dai men in Xishuangbanna used to live a monastic life away from their families since childhood. They believe that only those who have been monks are educated and learned, and will be respected by society. However, for the Dai men, becoming a monk is more of a ritual. They generally have to return to the secular world, and after returning to the secular world, they live a secular life of marriage, funeral, and marriage. Every village of the Dai people, no matter how big or small, will have a Buddhist temple. When boys reach their teens, they are sent to monks to learn the Dai script. The characters of the Dai people are passed down to males and not females. Tattoos are an important feature of Dai men and one of the symbols of their beauty. According to traditional customs, Dai men must have tattoos when they reach a certain age, otherwise they will be discriminated against, especially by women. Even before, it was very difficult for a man without a tattoo to get a wife. The elderly in Mandan Village said that the tattoo is called "hougong" (transliteration of Dai) here, and its meaning is not only a symbol of the beauty of the Dai men, but also their amulet. Men's tattooing is a very formal ceremony. Before tattooing, incense must be burned, and chickens must be killed for sacrifice. Tattooing is usually done by the big Buddha in the temple in the village. During the tattooing process, you have to endure great pain, and you usually need to rest for 3 to 7 days.