Dai people sell chicken and find partners

There are many ways for young Dai men and women to fall in love, and the Dai people are popular in an activity called "Chuanbu Shao". That is, unmarried young men look for unmarried girls to fall in love with them on festivals or gatherings. This kind of activity is generally held during seasons such as the Water Splashing Festival, Dragon Boat Race, and Matchmaking. Young men and women sing and dance, starting in the evening and ending late at night.

There is also a more peculiar form of "selling chicken". Whenever festivals arrive, Dai girls in Xishuangbanna kill their own fat chickens and stew them. If the young man who comes to buy chicken is not happy with the girl, the girl will charge double the money. If a girl takes a fancy to a young man, the girl will bow her head shyly and avoid the young man's gaze. If the young man was interested, the two would carry the chicken, lift the stool, and walk into the quiet woods to pour out their admiration for each other.

Dai young men in Dehong, Yunnan also have a strange way of courting. Whether spring, summer, autumn and winter, if the young man wants to find a couple, he will wrap himself in a wide blanket, even his head and body, revealing only his two eyes. They stood on the side of the road, waiting for the girl to arrive, which was also a temporary sign of an unmarried man. The symbol of a girl without a partner is to wear a light-colored plock, trousers, and a small waist. As long as the young man sees a girl dressed in this way passing by, he can come forward and talk and woo her. If a girl fell in love with a young man, he would take off the blanket on his body, take the girl's hand and leave the road to have a detailed conversation.

When the two parties have matured in love, the man usually invites his uncle or aunt to come forward and propose marriage at the girl's house. After the other party agrees, the marriage can be married.

(End)