What is the Dragon Head Festival? What is the Dragon Head Festival?

The leading festival (the second day of the second lunar month), also known as the leading spring ploughing festival, farming festival and spring dragon festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. Every year on the second day of the second lunar month, it is said that dragons look up, which is a traditional festival in China. Celebrate the dragon head festival to show respect for the dragon and pray for rain, so that God can bless the harvest.

On February 2nd, the dragon looked up. In ancient astronomy, China used 28 nights to represent the positions of the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky, and to judge the seasons. After the vernal equinox, the dragon's horn stars (namely, horn stars and horn stars) appear from the eastern horizon at dusk, so it is called the dragon looks up.

Why celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival? Whenever the Spring Festival comes, in most parts of northern China, every family carries lanterns to fetch water from wells or rivers in the morning, and when they get home, they light a fire, burn incense and offer offerings. In ancient times, people called this ceremony to attract dragons. On this day, every household will eat noodles, fried oil cakes and popcorn, which is more auspicious than taking the lead in eating gentian and golden beans, and the dragon king will ascend to heaven, sowing sex and rain, and the grain will be abundant.

In fact, after February of the lunar calendar, the rainy solar term came, and the phenomenon of little rain in winter ended, and the rainfall gradually increased. In the past, on this morning, people would worship the roller. It is said that the drum is the embodiment of Qinglong. Some even put scorpions on them to show that the dragon raises its head to show its dignity and good luck. Women avoid sewing for fear of blinding longan; Don't grind, don't grind rice, don't push a cart, for fear of breaking the dragon's waist and tail.

The traditional custom of the Dragon Head Festival is to worship the land god.

The second day of February is also the birthday of the land. The landowner, also known as Ford Shen Zheng, is a god deeply loved by people from all walks of life. In the south, the custom of holding the dragon head on February 2 is still followed. For example, in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and other regions, there is a new custom of February 2, which is similar to the custom of holding a dragon's head, mainly based on the custom of holding a dragon's head. In the south, people generally worship the land god. Some places in Linyi hold land fairs on this day. Farmers raise funds to celebrate the birthday of the land god, burn incense and sacrifice at the land temple, and set off firecrackers with gongs and drums, so that the land god can bless the harvest. Now no village holds a land meeting, but some people still go to the land temple to burn incense and sacrifice on this day.

Eat sugar beans

Surround the granary

In Linyi area, on February 2nd, people get up early. First of all, they lit plant ash, put plant ash in a dustpan, tapped the dustpan with a wooden stick, and scattered plant ash outside the courtyard as they walked, saying that this was to repel insects. Then, in the middle of the yard or on their own threshing floor, plant ash was used to form one round bin after another, and some even drew a ladder with plant ash on one side of the bin to show that the bin was tall and big. Some put some whole grains in the middle of each grain depot, and some cover them with slate. In a few days, take the slate to let the chickens finish the grains, which indicates a bumper harvest this year. This custom is very popular among Linyi people, which reflects people's expectation for a bumper harvest and their desire for food. In recent years, they have plenty of food and clothing, and some villagers still hoard food on February 2 at home.