Is Dragon Head Festival a traditional festival? What are the customs and folk customs of Longtou Festival?
China has had legends related to "dragons" since ancient times. Do you want to know more about the Dragon Head Festival? As the Year of the Tiger enters its second month, everyone's fortunes have shown new developments. With a curious desire to explore, let’s wander around Shuimoxiansheng.com’s special topic for February of the lunar calendar in 2022!Is Dragon Head Festival a traditional festival?The Dragon Head Festival, also known as the Dragon Raising its Head, is held on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar every year. It is also known as February 2, Spring Farming Festival, Blue Dragon Festival, Spring Dragon Festival, etc. It is a traditional Chinese folk festival.The Dragon Head Festival originated from the worship of natural celestial phenomena and is related to people’s understanding of the movement of stars and farming culture in ancient times. "Dragon" refers to the seventh star of the Eastern Azure Dragon among the twenty-eight constellations. At the beginning of the first month of spring every year (when the Big Dipper points to the east), the "Dragon Horn Star" rises from the eastern horizon, so it is called "the Dragon Raising its Head". The Dragon Head Festival is at the beginning of the Mao month in mid-spring. "Mao" belongs to the wood element and the hexagram is "Zhen". Nine two is in the mutual Zhen of the Lin hexagram, which means that the dragon has left its latent state and has appeared on the surface, showing its head, which is a sign of growth. In farming culture, the Dragon Head Festival marks the birth of Yang energy, the increase of rainfall, the vitality of all things, and the beginning of spring ploughing. Since ancient times, people have regarded the Dragon Head Festival as a day to pray for good weather, ward off evil spirits and disasters, and bring good luck and fortune. What are the customs and folk customs of Longtou Festival?1. Shaving the dragon headShaving the dragon's head refers to getting a haircut on the second day of the second lunar month. If it is a child's haircut, it is called shaving a "happy head". Giving children a haircut on February 2 is to take advantage of the auspicious time when the dragon raises its head, to bless the children to grow up healthily and become successful when they grow up; if adults get a haircut, it represents saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, hoping to bring good luck and a smooth new year. 2. Release the Dragon Lantern On the second day of the second lunar month, there is a custom of "releasing dragon lanterns" in the Yellow River Delta and some riverside areas. On this day, many families make small boats with reeds or sorghum stalks, insert candles or put small oil bowls made of radishes on them, and then put them in the river or bay in the evening and light them, which means that the dragon is lighting the way and conveying good wishes. 3. Offering sacrifices to the land February 2 is both the Dragon Raising Head Festival and the birthday of the God of Land. The "Birthday of the God of Land" is also called the "Community Day Festival." The community day is divided into Spring Community Day and Autumn Community Day. In ancient times, the Spring Community Day was the fifth day of the Wu period after the Beginning of Spring, and the Autumn Community Day was the fifth day of the Wu period after the Beginning of Autumn (Wu, belongs to the earth element in the five elements). The ancients believed that the earth gave birth to all things, and the land god was one of the most widely worshipped gods. People believe that the God of Land is in charge of the growth of grains and local peace, so people in many places worship the God of Land on the second day of the second month. 4. Eat Dragon Food The food customs of the second day of the second lunar month are usually related to the "dragon". For example, eating spring pancakes is called "eating dragon scales", eating noodles is called "eating dragon whiskers", eating wontons is called "eating dragon eyes", eating dumplings is called "eating dragon ears", eating scallion pancakes is called "tearing dragon skin", and cooking noodles and wontons together is called "dragon taking beads". In some places, there is also the custom of eating "dragon eyes", "dragon whiskers", "dragon tongue", "dragon ears", "dragon skin", "dragon seeds", "dragon eggs", as well as spring pancakes and pig heads. Eating food related to the dragon on this day reflects people's strong desire to pray for the dragon's blessing. 5. Knock the faucet In some areas of Northeast China, there is a custom of "knocking on the dragon's head" on the second day of the second month. On the morning of February 2, people hit the beams of the house with long poles to wake up the dragon and bring peace to the area. Adults and children still recite: "On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head, the big granaries are full, and the small granaries are overflowing." In some places, people use stove ash to spread big circles in the yard and put grains in the middle, which is called "beating the granary" or "filling the granary", wishing for a good harvest and full granaries that year. Hitting the beams means using a wooden stick or bamboo pole to scare away poisonous insects such as snakes and scorpions to prevent them from causing harm. In some places, it is popular to knock on the edge of the kang, which has the same purpose as knocking on the beams of the house. 6. Yintianlong In some areas, there is a custom of "attracting dragons to the fields" when the dragon raises its head. Every morning on the second day of the second lunar month, every household would carry lanterns to the well or river to fetch water. When they returned home, they would light lamps, burn incense, and offer sacrifices. There are many activities to attract dragons and subdue insects, the most distinctive of which is spreading ashes. The scattering of ash is very particular. Ash is mostly made of wood ash. People scatter a dragon of wood ash from their doorstep to the river, and then scatter a dragon of rice bran to lead it home, which means to send away the lazy (green) dragon and attract the money (yellow) dragon to bless people with wealth; scatter it from the street gate to the kitchen stove, and around the water tank, which is called "attracting the money dragon"; scatter wood ash at the door to block the door and ward off disasters; scatter wood ash at the foot of the wall in the shape of dragons and snakes to attract blessings and avoid pests. In Fu County, Shaanxi Province, it is popular to spread ashes outside the village walls, which is also a way to drive away insects. Later, the practice of using lime instead of wood ash to exorcise insects emerged. Do you want to know your own Bazi? Want to figure out where your golden marriage is? Click on the [Premium Calculation] below to calculate your horoscope and fortune! |
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