What is the meaning of the Dragon's Head at the beginning of February 2? What is the meaning of Dragon's Head at the beginning of February 2?

Dragon Carrying Heads (February 2) is also known as "Spring Plowing Festival", "Agricultural Festival", "Spring Dragon Festival", is a traditional Han Chinese folk festival. Dragon head is the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar every year, commonly known as the Green Dragon Festival, legend has it that it is the day when the dragons raise their heads, and it is a traditional festival in both urban and rural areas of China. It is a traditional festival in China's cities and towns. People celebrate the Dragon's Head Festival to honor the dragon and pray for rain, so that God will bless a good harvest.

History

The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar is commonly known as the Green Dragon Festival. The origin of the Green Dragon Festival is related to the "hibernation" of the 24 solar terms. After the hibernation, the earth is revived, Yang Qi rising. Shanxi proverbs have "February 2, the dragon head" said.

Jinan region that this day is the day of the green dragon activities, avoid going to the river, well water, so as not to bring back the dragon eggs. In the river, wells and labor, pay close attention to the quiet, as far as possible, do not make noise, so as not to startle the green dragon, the good years of rain and wind destroyed.

Jinbei region on this day, the prevalence of "Si Qianlong". In the morning, before the sun rises, every family carries a teapot to the river or well to draw water. According to the projections of the year several dragons to rule the water, in the teapot put a few coins or coins. After drawing water, they would pour a trail of water back to their homes and pour all the remaining water and money into the water tank, and the money dragon would be drawn home, which meant that they would be rich in a year. When the money dragon is cited, it is especially forbidden to speak, so as not to frighten away the money dragon.

South-east Jin's lead money dragon, is to use the stove ash, sprinkle a curved line of ash, from the door all the way to the kitchen, around the water tank can be a circle.

As the saying goes, "Sting over, a hundred insects Su." Qinglong Festival, folk popular many activities to drive away poison. "Yangcheng County Records" recorded: "Hundred hibernation first startled, hanging Tianshi charm to ward off insects and poisons." In the morning, when people get up, avoid saying the word "up", I'm afraid that all the poisonous insects also rise in response to the sound. Jinnan region folk like to cook cranberry soup, sprinkled all over the house wall cracks, corners, the bottom of the bed mat, under the bed, so-called "ban a hundred insects". Some villagers also gather and carry the statue of the god to the door of each house and sprinkle rice soup into the courtyard, which means that the plague will be avoided and dispersed. In front of people's doors, they surrounded with lime. Folk custom in Southeast China painted a medicine gourd containing snakes, scorpions, centipedes, centipedes, centipedes, spiders and other five poisonous pests, and pasted it on the wall, which is said to be "to ward off all insects". There are also beans, wheat flour rolled into a lamp twist form, buried in the soil, called "fumigation centipede".

Jinzhong area folklore family shoot dustpan, nursery rhyme "February 2, shoot dustpan, fleas, wall lice do not dare to bed miles". Lime is used to surround a line in front of the toilet and the door, which is called removing the plague. In Lvliang area, it is customary for every family to sweep their houses. In the northern part of the country, it is customary to "paste the wolf's mouth" with sugar or millet dough and paste it around the mouth of the god Erlang.

Qinglong Festival, in some places in southern Jin called "flower tide". People carry wine and food, to the countryside, choose a place to sit around, but also singing and dancing, enjoy drinking, also known as "spring", "trekking". Southeast Jin used to use broomcorn millet powder to make pancakes, condolences to women. Jinzhong children used to fly kites. Some counties are concerned about this day to play the ash cellar, sacrificial land god. Jinbei region like to eat noodles, vermicelli, called picking the tail of the dragon. And to eat cake paste wolf mouth and eat pears to defeat the fire, playing dirty gas. Lvliang area like to eat pancakes, known as "uncovering the dragon skin". Jinnan this day must eat sesame flowers, deep-fried noodle cake, called "gnawing the dragon bone". The northwestern region of Jinbei is concerned about the Qinglong Festival, a big social fire Yangge, the base of the fire, the spectacle is similar to the Lantern Festival in other places.

Qinglong Festival, folk in northern Jinbei region to eat Zaowang before the date mountain. A family of several people, the jujube mountain will be cut into several pieces, per capita a share, the top of the three pointed part of the parents to enjoy.

Origin of the festival

Dragon Head Raising [2] the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar [2], commonly known as the Green Dragon Festival, legend has it that the dragon's head is raised on the day, which is a traditional festival in rural areas of our countryside, the name of the "Dragon Head Festival". As the saying goes, "February 2, the dragon raises its head, and everyone's small family makes the plow oxen." At this time, the sun rises, the earth thawed, spring plowing will begin, it is the time to transport manure to prepare for plowing. Legend has it that this festival originated in the period of Fuxi, the head of the Three Emperors. Fuxi's "heavy farming and mulberry, business plowing", every year on February 2 this day, "the Queen sends food, the Royal Palace of Plowing," self-care acres of three-quarters of an acre of land. Later on, Emperor Huangdi, Tang Yao, Yu Shun and Xia Yu followed the example of their predecessors. King Wu of Zhou not only inherited this traditional practice, but also practiced it as an important state policy. On the second day of February, a major ceremony was held to allow all civil and military officials to personally plow a mu and three quarters of land, which is the historical legend of the Dragon Head Festival. It is also said that Wu Zetian abolished the Tang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty as the emperor, which made the Jade Emperor furious and ordered the Dragon King not to have rain for three years. The Dragon King could not bear to see the suffering of the people, so he secretly sent down a heavy rain. The Jade Emperor learned that the Dragon King will be beaten out of the Palace of Heaven, under the pressure of the mountain, the people feel the Dragon King rain deep grace, praying to the sky every day, and finally touched the Jade Emperor, the Dragon King on the second day of February will be released, so there will be a "February 2, the dragon raised its head," said. In fact, in the past, rural water conditions are poor, farmers attach great importance to the spring rains, celebrating the "Dragon Head Festival" to show respect for the dragon and pray for rain, so that God blessed the harvest, from the desire to be good, so the "Dragon Head Festival" has been handed down to this day!

The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the reason why known as the Dragon's Head Festival, in fact, with the ancient celestial phenomena. In the old days, people will be divided into 28 groups of stars near the ecliptic, indicating the position of the sun, moon and stars in the sky, commonly known as the "twenty-eight hosts", as a reference for celestial observation. "The twenty-eight constellations are divided into four groups according to the four directions of east, west, south, north and south, resulting in the "Four Elephants": Canglong in the east, the White Tiger in the west, the Vermilion Bird in the south, and Xuanwu in the north. "Twenty-eight hosts" in the horn, hyper, 氐, room, heart, tail, Kei seven hosts to form a dragon-shaped star, people call it the East Canglong, of which the corner of the host on behalf of the dragon's horns, hyper hosts on behalf of the dragon's throat, 氐hosts on behalf of the dragon's claws, the heart of the hosts on behalf of the dragon's heart, the tail of the hosts and Kei hosts on behalf of the dragon's tail. The "said the text" in the dragon "can be dark and bright, can be fine and huge, can be short and long, the spring equinox and ascending to the sky, the autumn equinox and submerged in the abyss," the record, in fact, said the eastern dragon astrological changes!

Anciently, it was observed that the Canglong astrological spring from the eastern night sky, fall from the western fall, its emergence cycle and orientation is consistent with the cycle of agricultural time of the year. The beginning of spring farming, Canglong Xingjiu in the eastern night sky began to rise, revealing the bright head of the dragon, summer crop growth, Canglong Xingjiu hanging in the southern night sky; fall crop harvest, Canglong Xingjiu also began to fall in the west; winter, everything is hidden, Canglong Xingjiu is also hidden in the north below the horizon. And every year on the second night of the second month of the lunar calendar, Canglong Xingxu began to show its head from the east, the corner of the host, representing the dragon's horn, began to appear from the eastern horizon, about an hour later, Kangxu, that is, the dragon's throat, rose above the horizon, close to the midnight, the 氐宿, that is, the dragon's claws also appeared. This is the process of "Dragon Head Raising". After that, every day of the "dragon head" date, are about a little earlier, after a month or so, the whole "dragon head" on the "lift" up. Later, this day was also given multiple meanings and hopes, and was developed into the "Dragon Head Raising Festival" and the "Spring Dragon Festival"!

The formation of the Dragon Head Raising Festival on the second day of February is also related to the natural geographical environment. The second day of February Dragon Heads Up Festival, mainly popular in the northern region (the south of the water, less land, this day is popular to sacrifice to the land community God). Due to the perennial drought and little rain in the northern region, there is a shortage of surface water resources, and the agricultural production that depends on survival can not do without water, pests and diseases is also a major problem of crops, therefore, people seek rain and eliminate the pests of the mentality will be refracted to the daily beliefs, the second day of the second month of February, the Dragon Head Raising Festival for the people is also particularly important: relying on the worship of the dragon to drive away the evils of the good luck, to send the people of the better life of the aspirations! --The Dragon God blesses the earth with peace and prosperity for people and animals. Dragon head on the day of the snake and the dragon's laundry good, wash away a bad luck. Another saying: the second day of February, the dragon carries the head, according to legend, the second day of February is the day of the birth of Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi. The second day of the second month of the summer calendar, legend has it that the god of the sky in charge of rainfall Dragon King raised his head. It means that there will be more rain in the future, which is good for farming. One theory is that the Dragon King misses his lost daughter, so he always raises his head from the bottom of the sea on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, looking in the direction of his lost daughter to send his thoughts.

The legend of the Green Dragon Festival in China's northern folklore circulates such a myth. It is said that Wu Zetian became the emperor, angered the Jade Emperor, and sent a message to the Dragon King of the Four Seas that he should not send rain to the earth for three years. Soon, the Dragon King, who was in charge of the Heavenly River, heard the cries of the people's families and saw the tragic scene of starving people, and worried that the way of life on earth would be cut off, so he disobeyed the Jade Emperor's will and sent rain to the earth once. When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he knocked the Dragon King down to the mortal world and pressed him under a big mountain to suffer, and a monument was erected on the mountain: "The Dragon King violated the rules of heaven by sending down rain, and suffered the sin of a thousand years on the earth; if he wanted to climb up to the Spiritual Pavilion, he would not do so unless the golden beans blossomed." In order to save the Dragon King, people looked everywhere for the blossoming golden beans. To the second day of the second lunar month of the following year, people are turning over the corn seeds, the thought that this corn is like a golden bean, fried a fried flowers is not a golden bean blossom? So every family popcorn flowers, and set up in the yard burning incense, for the blossoming of the "golden beans". (The legend is wrong, Wu Zetian is the Tang Dynasty period characters, corn is the Ming Dynasty before the introduction of China, then where to corn seeds?)　The Dragon King looked up and knew that the people were trying to save him, so he shouted to the Jade Emperor, "The golden beans have blossomed, let me out!" The Jade Emperor saw the golden bean blossoms opening in every yard on earth, so he had to pass an order to the Dragon King to return to heaven and continue to give the earth clouds and rain. From then on, the folk formed the habit, every February 2 this day, on the popcorn to eat.　This "heaven and earth, into one" folk tale, is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient working people; from another perspective also reflects the reality of ancient agricultural constraints by the weather as well as the ploughman longing for rain and wind, the good wishes of the grain harvest. However, according to the data, "February 2, the dragon raised its head" and the ancient astronomical understanding of the operation of the stars and agricultural festivals.　Ancient astronomical observation of the sky mode, in the circumference of the ecliptic to determine the 28 constellations, known as the 28 hosts. The ancients divided these 28 stars into 4 palaces according to the southeast, northwest and north, each palace 7 hosts, and according to their image will be attached to the 4 palaces for the 4 kinds of animals. Among them, the 7 constellations of the Eastern Palace were imagined as a huge dragon stretching from north to south, consisting of 30 stars.　Stars are relatively immobile, when the position of the Earth's rotation so that the Dragon constellation and the sun in the same direction, the sun's light will drown out the starlight, people will not see the dragon in the sky; and after a period of time, the position of the Earth moved, the Dragon constellation will reappear, and so on and so forth, the ancients found this law, and it to judge the season. When the first of the 7 Eastern Palace constellations known as "Dragon's Horn" appeared on the horizon, it was the beginning of spring, so the ancients took its appearance as a sign of the arrival of spring. At this time, it coincides with the rainy season around the second month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which gives rise to the saying "February 2, the dragon carries the head". The famous Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi has a poem: "February 2, new rain clear, grass buds and vegetables a moment of life; light shirt, thin horse spring young, cross Zintou a word line."

Legend Longtou Festival first originated in the era of Fuxi, Fuxi, "heavy farming, plowing", the second day of February every year, "the Queen sends rice, the Royal Palace of Plowing". To King Wu of Zhou, every year on the second day of February also held a grand ceremony, calling on all civil and military officials to pro-plowing.

February 2, Dragon Head Festival, according to legend, in the Song Dynasty for the "Flower Festival", the day designated as the birthday of the flowers. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was known as the "Treading Green Festival", and the people went out on this day for trekking and picnicking. Some people picked some pong leaves (a kind of flower growing on the ground) along the way when they went home to worship in front of their houses. This custom is a metaphor for "welcoming wealth".

The Ming and Qing dynasties called this day "dragon head-raising" day, because the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar in the "hibernation" before and after the festival. Snakes, earthworms, frogs and many other animals, a winter will enter the hibernation state of not eating, not drinking, not moving, this is the "hibernation". Around February 2, the weather is getting warmer, some insects and animals seem to be awakened from their sleep by the spring sunshine and spring thunder, so this festival is called "hibernation". The big dragon in the legend of the people is actually not there, the kind of dragon is in the snake, earthworms, etc., based on our ancestors imagine processing out. Around the second day of February, when spring returns to the earth, people expect the dragon to come out to suppress all harmful insects and expect a good harvest. This is the saying "February 2, the dragon carries the head".

In Beijing, there are many customs on February 2, such as "February 2, shine the beams, scorpions and centipedes have nowhere to hide"! To get rid of pests on this day, the people light candles and shine them on the beams and walls to get rid of scorpions and centipedes, which fall down and are destroyed as soon as they see the bright light. This day folk food and drink also more to the name of the dragon, for good luck, such as eating dumplings called eat "dragon ear", eat rice called eat "dragon", eat wontons called eat "dragon teeth", steamed cakes also made on the surface of the Dragon scale shape on the surface, called "dragon scale cake". This day, women refrain from moving needle and thread, in order to avoid injury to the eyes of the dragon, even children shaving is also called "shaving the dragon".

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