Is it necessary to shave your head on February 2nd when the dragon raises its head? What is the origin of “shaving the dragon’s head”?
The Dragon Raises its Head on the Second Day of the Second Month is an important folk festival after the Spring Festival. In fact, many people are not familiar with this festival. They only know that they have to cut their hair on this day. So let’s find out whether they have to shave their heads on the Dragon Raises its Head on the Second Day of the Second Month? What is the origin of “shaving the dragon’s head”?Is it necessary to shave your head on February 2nd when the dragon raises its head?The custom of shaving one's head is not enforced in today's era. People will shave their heads if they value this custom.There is a saying that getting a haircut on the second day of the second lunar month is to "get rid of the old." Cutting a child's hair is called "shaving the happy head", which takes advantage of the auspicious time when the dragon raises its head to bless the child to grow up healthily and become successful when he grows up; cutting an adult's hair is called "shaving the dragon's head", which is to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, hoping to bring good luck. There is a folk saying: "On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head, and children and adults should have their heads shaved." There is another reason for the formation of this custom. According to past customs, people are not allowed to shave their heads or get a haircut in the first month of the lunar calendar. There is a saying that goes "Shaving your head in the first month of the lunar calendar will kill your uncle." In fact, the saying that "getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will kill your uncle" is a misunderstanding. The meaning of not shaving one's head is "missing the past", which is a custom that has been passed down since the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Qing Dynasty ordered all common people to shave their heads. Some people, in order to miss the Ming Dynasty, did not shave their heads during the first month of the lunar year to express their "nostalgia". But they could not openly confront the Qing government, so they used the homonym of “思旧” (missing the past) as “死叔” (dead uncle), and came up with the saying “getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will cause your uncle to die.” This saying spread, and although it didn't make much sense, people tried to avoid getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year for good luck. So in the past, barber shops were deserted and had very little business throughout the first month of the lunar year. Everyone waits until the second day of the second month when the dragon raises its head before starting to shave their heads. What is the origin of “shaving the dragon’s head”?According to research, ancient people hoped that the rising of the Dragon Star would be a sign of the beginning of the rainy season. The "Book of Rites" says: "All hibernating insects begin to move, and they come out when the doors are opened." The dragon is the most noble of animals, so people hoped that the dragon would raise its head to subdue the insects, and there would be good weather in the coming year. Therefore, the custom of February 2nd, when the dragon raises its head, is closely related to astronomy and geography. It is generated through people's observation of the stars and reflects people's expectation for good weather and the help of auspicious dragons in the new year. On the day of February 2, a corresponding astronomical phenomenon occurred. After the February equinox, the stars disappeared below the horizon like a blue dragon, while the Dragon Horn Star appeared from the eastern horizon, just like a dragon raising its head. Therefore, people believe that February 2 is the day when the dragon god ascends to heaven, and it is also the day when people worship the dragon god.What are the taboos when the dragon raises its head on February 2?1. You cannot stay at your parents’ home. This of course applies to married women. According to the traditional customs of our country, the day to return to one's parents' home is the second day after the New Year. It is already the first month of the lunar calendar, and spring is back to the earth, and it is a good season for sowing. Married women at this time often have to help their parents' home, but no matter how much work there is to do, they cannot stay until the day of the Dragon Raising its Head.It is said that this is because there is usually a lot of work to do at the husband's house, and staying at your parents' house all the time will make your husband's family think that you are biased. Obviously this is not conducive to the harmony between the two families, so whether as a daughter or a daughter-in-law, you have to take care of both sides. 2. You cannot give birth at your parents' home. This taboo is a bit confusing. Nowadays, pregnant women usually go to the hospital early to give birth when they are about to give birth. Even if they are not in the hospital, they should give birth at home. In short, it is not advisable to move around randomly. But this was not the case in the past. Some pregnant women would still work in the fields when they were about to give birth, so it was possible for them to be at their parents' home. However, on the second day of the second lunar month, it is important to absorb dragon energy. Giving birth at one's parents' home will destroy the yang energy or good luck of one's husband's family, so one should wait for delivery at one's own home. 3. You cannot use scissors or needles on the day when the dragon raises its head, as this will hurt the dragon's eyes, and the dragon will not be able to provide clouds and rain for the world on time in the future. Regardless of whether they are farmers or not, everyone always hopes that the new year will be good weather and a good harvest, so no one wants to hurt the dragon's eyes. The fourth taboo is that the pot cannot be left empty. It should be noted that this taboo does not only apply to the day of February 2. According to custom, the pot cannot be left empty for more than a month from the Spring Festival to the day of February 2. The New Year is all about good omens, and an empty pot will inevitably make people feel that life is difficult. 4. You cannot say “jealous” when you are jealous, because this day is the day when the Dragon King raises his head. People’s words are more insightful than usual. If you say you are jealous, you may be jealous for the whole year. Having talked about these taboos, let's talk about the three common customs on the day of the Dragon Raising its Head. In fact, the customs on this day are different all over the country. In some places, people eat fruit, which is said to be the fruit of wealth, in some places, people dance dragons, and in some places, people release dragon lanterns. However, there are three things that are almost universal across the country. The first is hair cutting, or barbering. |
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