Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - The 24 Solar Terms - What is the festival when the dragon looks up on February 2?

What is the festival when the dragon looks up on February 2?

What festival is the dragon's head raised in February? What festival is the dragon's head raised in February?

The second day of February is also called Farming Day, Spring Festival, and so on. The time is the second day of the second lunar month every year, which is the legendary day when the dragon looks up. Its main function is to pray for a bumper harvest. "The dragon looks up" comes from the worship of natural phenomena, which has a lot to do with ancient people's operation of stars and farming culture. However, although it has a very long history and became a national festival after the Yuan Dynasty, and there are many activities related to raising the head of the dragon, no matter what it is, it shows people's expectations for a better life.

Many titles of "February 2"

February 2nd is the Dragon Head Festival, also called the Dragon Festival. According to legend, the second day of February is the day when Xuanyuan Huangdi was born. The Dragon Head Festival originated in the Fu era, and Fuxi "emphasized agriculture and mulberry, intensively cultivated in the fields". On the second day of February every year, "the imperial mother delivers meals and cultivates the fields with the royal family". Legend has it that dragons can sow clouds and rain, eliminate disasters and reduce happiness, symbolizing good luck, so they use various folk activities related to dragons to pray for peace and harvest, which later became a custom all over the country.

When I arrive in Zhou Wuwang, every year on the second day of February, a grand ceremony is held to call on civil and military officials to work together. "February 2nd" is said to be the "Flower Festival" in the Song Dynasty, and this day is designated as the birthday of Baihua. In the Yuan Dynasty, this day was called "Youth Day", and people went out for an outing on this day. Some people go home for an outing, pick some leaves along the way (a kind of flowers and leaves that grow on the ground) and take them home to worship at the door. This custom means "welcome the rich".

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was called the day when the dragon looked up, because the second day of the second lunar month coincided with the "shocking" solar term. People expect dragons to contain all harmful poisonous insects and expect a bumper harvest. This is the origin of the saying "On February 2nd, the dragon looked up".

Folk custom of "February 2nd"

1, click

Knocking on the tap woke up the dragon. On the morning of February 2, the northeast used a long pole to hit the beam, which was called "knocking on the tap". Wake up the dragon and save one side. Adults and children still read: "On February 2, the dragon looked up and the big warehouse was full of small warehouses." In some places, kitchen ashes are scattered in the yard to form a big circle, and whole grains are put in the middle, which is called "hoarding" or "filling the warehouse". I wish you a bumper harvest and a full warehouse in Man Cang.

Step 2 scrape the tap

The second day of the second lunar month is the day when dragons are killed and ascended to heaven. People believe that shaving your head on this day will make people lucky. Children's haircut is called "shaving their heads". When the dragon looks up, it will bless children to grow up healthily and get ahead when they grow up. Hairdressing for adults means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, hoping to bring good omen and good luck. Therefore, the folk proverb says, "Shaving the tap on February 2nd is a good year.".

Step 3 eat dragon food

On this day, there is also a certain emphasis on diet, because people believe that "Rowen has great wealth", so the diet of this day is mostly named after dragons. Eating spring cakes is called "eating dragon forest", eating noodles is called "eating dragon beard meat", eating wonton is called "eating longan", eating jiaozi is called "eating dragon ears", cooking noodles and wonton together is called "eating dragon balls", and eating scallion cakes is called "tearing dragon skin". Everything carries symbols and meanings related to dragons. All these have pinned people's strong desire to pray for the dragon's blessing.

Step 4 pick up "auntie"

There is also an important activity on February 2, that is, picking up the "aunt", that is, picking up the married daughter at home, so there is a saying that "picking up the baby on February 2". Because old Beijingers have a lot of manners, among them, "aunt" can't live in her mother's house in the first month. After going to her mother's house on the second day of the second year, she must also go back to her husband's house that day, especially the newly married "aunt". But on the second day of February, her family came to pick up her daughter and stayed for a few days or half a month. First, I was busy for a long time in the first month. When I was tired, I took her home and had a good rest. Second, the new year has just begun, and you have to be busy again. Treat her well. Spring cakes, which are pancakes, are usually served. In the days when I was taken back, my "aunt" just chatted around and was relaxed and happy.

Step 5 respect the land

The ancients believed that everything was born on the earth, so the land god was one of the gods widely worshipped. People think that this god palm is in charge of grain growth and peace in this place. According to legend, "February 2" is the birthday of the land god, and people in many places will worship the land god on this day. When farmers in Funing, Jiangsu pay homage to the land, each family should take some ashes from the stove, scatter them in a big circle in the yard or in front of the house, burn paper and incense, and pray for the land god to bless the strong seedlings of that year and avoid the disaster of wind, hail, moths and locusts.

6.smoked worms

The word "smoked insects" was first seen in Dong Liu's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" in Ming Dynasty, Volume II: "On February 2, the dragon looked up, steamed cakes on New Year's Day, smoked beds and smoked kang, which was called" smoked insects ". It is said that the dragon will be attracted and the worms will not come out. " There are similar records in many local chronicles. On this day, people will fry the cakes or newly-made pies for the Spring Festival sacrifice so as to bring the dragon back, so that Rowen can subdue the insects that are stirring, and smoke the beds and kang with the oil smoke generated by the fried cakes. I want to smoke out the insects that will revive, drive away the disaster and keep healthy.

Taboo of raising the dragon head on February 2nd.

1. After a woman gets married, it is forbidden to spend February 2 at her parents' house.

Women are not allowed to give birth in their parents' home.

3. When a woman marries, she chooses a woman to see Fujian off, and when she marries her mother, she avoids pregnant women, "turning around" and widows.

Don't empty the pot from Spring Festival to February 20 million.

5, visit relatives and friends, visit patients to avoid the first day, 15, do not visit patients in the afternoon.

6. Shops are forbidden to say "closed", and closing at night is called "leaning against the door".

7. Sang Mu ("mulberry" homophonic "mourning") and Sophora japonica ("Sophora japonica" homophonic "bad") are not suitable for building timber.

8. Don't wear white shoes, white leg straps or white belts for congratulations. I can't congratulate people for a month after my parents died.

9. Fishermen or boatmen should avoid saying "turn over" and call it "slide over".

10, avoid saying "jealous" and call it "taboo".

1 1. During the Spring Festival, jiaozi should avoid saying "breaking Li" and call it "earning Li".

12, go to the teahouse to fetch water. Don't say "white water", call it "white water".

13. Shoulder vendors should avoid carrying poles (because "carrying" is homophonic with "selling").

14. When returning the borrowed bucket to the owner, don't carry the empty bucket to get started. You should carry an empty bucket in one hand, a shoulder pole in the other, or water.

15. Borrow a pole filled with boiled Chinese herbal medicines and put some food on it when you return it. In some areas, return is not allowed until the user comes to pick it up.