What are the stories and legends about the Dragon Raising its Head on February 2?
Introduction: Our country is a typical traditional cultural country, and with it come the emergence of many folk cultural festivals, and there are many legends behind the origins of these folk festivals. For example, on February 2, the dragon raises its head. So, do you know the legend about this folk cultural festival? Let’s follow the editor to find out. During the first month of the lunar calendar, you will have a good year. The first month is the most important month of spring. Mr. Shui Mo will share with you some knowledge about January.What are the stories and legends about the Dragon Raising its Head on February 2?In fact, the reason why it is said "February 2, the dragon raises its head" is related to the ancient astronomy of observing celestial phenomena. Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the constellations near the ecliptic into 28 groups, commonly known as the "28 Mansions" according to the orbits and positions of the sun, moon and stars. They also divided them into four palaces according to the four directions of east, west, south and north, and attached four animals to the four palaces according to their images.Among them, the seven stars in the Eastern Palace (namely Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji) are very similar to the imagined dragon-shaped constellation, so they are called the Eastern Canglong (the others are the Western White Tiger, the Southern Suzaku and the Northern Black Tortoise). Every year on the evening of the second day of the second lunar month, the Azure Dragon constellation begins to emerge from the east, and the Jiao constellation representing the dragon's horns begins to appear on the eastern horizon (while the entire "dragon body", i.e. the other six constellations, are still hidden below the horizon), hence the name "Dragon Raising its Head". So why do we worship the dragon on the second day of the second month? This is closely related to agricultural production. February 2nd is around the time of Jingzhe, which is also the season for spring ploughing and sowing. Whether the weather is favorable or not is directly related to the harvest of crops in a year. In the ancient pantheon, the dragon is the god in charge of rain. In order to pray to the Dragon God to control the clouds and rain, people place offerings in front of the Dragon God and hold grand worship ceremonies on the second day of the second lunar month. In addition to performing operas to entertain the dragon, some places also perform dragon dances, wear dragon tails, and open pens (in the old days, children were allowed to open their pens to write on this day as a good omen for the dragon to raise its head, with the hope that the children would be able to read and write when they grow up), in the hope of wishing that "On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head, the big warehouse is full, and the small warehouse flows." Among the people, there is a touching story: Wu Zetian abolished the Tang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, which angered the Jade Emperor, who ordered the Dragon King not to rain for three years. The Dragon King could not bear to see the people suffer from the disaster and starve, so he secretly sent down a heavy rain. When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he drove the Dragon King out of the Heavenly Palace, pressed him under a mountain, and erected a monument to inform the world: "The Dragon King violated the Heavenly Rules by bringing rain, and he should be punished by the mortal world for thousands of years. If he wants to return to the Lingxiao Pavilion, he must wait until the golden beans bloom." In order to save the Dragon King, people searched everywhere for the flowering golden beans. Until the first day of February of the following year, a middle-aged woman went to visit relatives with a bag of soybeans on her back. She accidentally scattered the soybeans along the way. In the sunlight, the soybeans sparkled. When people saw it, they said happily: "Isn't this golden bean? Won't it bloom when it is fried?" The next day, which was February 2, every household offered the fried, blooming soybeans in the courtyard. Taibai Jinxing, who was in charge of the Dragon King, saw that it was indeed "golden beans blooming", and let the Dragon King return to the heavenly palace. Later, in order to remember and commemorate the Dragon King, people fried soybeans on the second day of the second lunar month every year, and while frying they would chant a popular saying: "On the second day of the second lunar month, eat (yellow) tofu pudding, give a handful to adults and children." Corn was introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty. After that, people used fragrant popcorn to worship the Dragon King, and this tradition has been passed down to this day. The Dragon King is worshipped on the second day of the second month, and people also embody their wish to "attract dragons to subdue insects, drive away poisons and plagues, and bless peace." February 2nd is right around the time of Waking of Insects. "After Waking of Insects, all insects wake up, and scorpions and centipedes show their heads." When all insects start to move, it is easy to spread diseases and damage crops. However, "the dragon is the leader of scaled insects, and when the dragon appears, all insects hide." Therefore, people "invite dragons to subdue insects", hoping to use the dragon's power to subdue all insects, drive out poisons and plagues, and protect the safety of people and animals and a good harvest. "Wan Shu Miscellaneous Notes" by Chen Bang of the Ming Dynasty recorded: "In February, dragons are attracted and all insects are fumigated... The villagers use ash to gently walk from the door into the kitchen, and swirl around the water tank, which is called attracting the dragon back. Use flour to make pancakes, and fumigate the bed to prevent all insects from breeding." The ash spreading is very particular and very interesting: use a dustpan to hold wood ash, and spread a dragon from the doorstep to the riverside, and then use rice bran to spread a dragon to lead the house, meaning to send away the lazy (green) dragon and attract the money (yellow) dragon to protect the safety of people and animals; spread it from the street gate to the kitchen stove, and circle the water tank, which is called "attracting the money dragon"; spread wood ash at the door to stabilize the door and avoid disasters; spread wood ash in the shape of dragons and snakes in the corners to attract blessings and avoid pests. When ordinary people celebrate the New Year, they value longevity and perfection. Therefore, in a broad sense, the Chinese New Year begins with the Kitchen God worship on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month and truly ends on the 2nd day of the second lunar month when the Dragon (King) raises his head. For example, there is a folk proverb that is still popular in the countryside of northern Shaanxi: "The Little New Year is celebrated on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the Big New Year is celebrated on New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th of the first lunar month, and the New Year is over on the second day of the second lunar month when the dragon raises its head." For ordinary people, the second day of the second lunar month is a very important festival. People believe that this day is not only the day when the blue dragon "ascends to the sky", but also the beginning of the new year. Because the second day of the second month usually falls around the time of Waking of Insects, the earth returns to spring, all things revive, spring ploughing is imminent, and all things begin. Therefore, in addition to worshiping the Dragon God, people often hold a variety of auspicious activities, such as dancing dragon lanterns, wearing dragon tails, etc. Particularly worth mentioning is the custom of shaving the dragon's head, that is, getting a haircut on the second day of the second month. Why do people have to get a haircut on this day? A haircut for children is called a "happy head" and it takes 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. A haircut for adults, on the other hand, means bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, hoping to bring good omens and good luck. On this day in northern Shaanxi, people not only perform operas, dance with dragon lanterns, and set off fireworks, but yangko troupes from all over the country also gather together and dance throughout the day in a lively manner to make the day a perfect occasion. For Najib, even the food eaten on February 2 has to be labeled as "dragon". For example, eating noodles on this day is called "dragon beard noodles", dumplings are called "dragon ears", rice is called "dragon seeds", spring rolls are called "dragon scales", wontons are called "dragon eyes", and cooking wontons and noodles together is called "dragon pearls", and so on. Summary: Through the above article, we know the legend about the Dragon Raising its Head on February 2nd. I hope you will like the above content. I wish you all the best in the new year! After reading this article, there are more exciting contents in the special topic of the first month of the lunar calendar. Let’s take a look! |
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