Dai women like to embroider peacock pattern on their costumes. Besides showing their remembrance to their ancestors, they believe that peacocks could bring luck to Dai People. A long Dai poem describes the story of a beautiful and kind peacock princess who flies into the lake to bath one day. A prince who was deeply in love with her took her peacock dress away. The prince hoped that in this way he could keep the peacock princess. Later they fell in love, and then got married and lived happily. The peacock king got irritated after knowing this and sent troops to go on a punitive expedition. The prince led soldiers to meet the attack, but the prince's father believed in slanderous talk and planed to kill the peacock princess. The princess requested to dance with the peacock dress before her death but took this chance to fly away. The prince prayed for the help of magic dragon and crossed mountains, rivers and oceans to reunite with his princess. To commemorate this lovely couple, Dai people started to wear peacock clothes during festival days or embroider the peacock pattern on their costumes. People dance together to display Dai people's supplication to beauty and happiness.
Peacock Dress and Dance by Local People
Peacock Dance on the Platform
