What are the traditional activities of raising the dragon's head on February 2?

Abstract: On February 2nd, the dragon heads up, also known as Spring Dragon Festival and Qinglong Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. On this day, every household will take part in traditional activities, in addition to hair cutting activities, there are also activities such as attracting dragons, knocking on the dragon head, Dragon Boat Festival, collecting clubs, offering clubs, social dramas, Naji and so on. Of course, there are also some taboo customs that need to be observed. On this day, you can't move scissors and needles, you can't carry water in the morning, you can't grind noodles, you can't spin flowers, etc. Let's take a look at Bian Xiao. What are the traditional activities of raising the dragon's head on February 2?

1, dragon introduction

Shandong and other parts of China celebrate the Spring Festival. Around the second day of February, insects germinate and are prone to diseases, and pests are also natural enemies of crops. Therefore, people hope to protect people and animals and harvest crops.

There are two ways to recruit dragons, one is to scatter ashes, and the other is to draw water to recruit dragons. The former mainly sprinkles lime in the kitchen water tank to attract dragons to be born. In fact, lime has the function of killing insects. The latter means pumping water in the morning, which means embarrassment.

Step 2 knock on the tap

On the morning of February 2, some parts of Northeast China knocked on the beams with long poles, 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, the big warehouse was full, and the small warehouse flowed." 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.

3. Dragon Boat Festival

In most parts of northern China, on the morning of February 2nd, every household carries lanterns to fetch water from wells or rivers. After returning home, they light lamps, burn incense and offer offerings. In ancient times, people called this ceremony "attracting dragons". Its purpose is to pray for rain, eliminate pests and harvest crops.

Step 4 scrape the tap

The second day of the second lunar month is the day to kill dragons and ascend to heaven. There is a custom in the north that you don't shave your head in the first month. Hair that has grown for a month must be shaved off the day when the dragon looks up. 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.". On this day, every barber shop is full of customers and business is booming.

Step 5 pick up the club

Taking over the club means taking over the "girl", that is, taking back the married daughter at home, so there is a saying of "taking the girl on February 2". There are many courtesies in Su Beiren, among which "girls" can't stay at their parents' home in the first month, and must return to their in-laws' home on the day after the second day of the second lunar month. But on the second day of February, the family came to pick up their daughter and go back to live for a few days. First, they were busy for a long time in the first month. When they were tired, they took her back and had a good rest. Second, the new year has just begun, and you have to be busy again. Treat her well.

6. Sacrifice society

Sacrificing a society is sacrificing the land god. The custom of "February 2" in the south is mainly in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and other regions. In addition, a new "February 2" custom, similar to the Dragon Head-raising Festival, is formed, focusing on offering sacrifices to the society, such as Hakka areas in eastern Guangxi.

The land god was called "country" and "country god" in ancient times, and it is said that it is the god who manages one side of the land. Because "the earth carries everything" and "amasses wealth on the earth", human beings have worshipped the land. After entering the agricultural society, the belief in the land is linked with the abundance of crops. In southern China, people generally worship the land god, also known as "Land God" and "Fude Shen Zheng", and Hakka people call them "Uncle Land".

7. Social drama

The performing arts competition held on Social Day is to repay kindness and seek happiness, and to perform "social drama", also called "local drama". Lu You's Travel Notes of Jishan in the Song Dynasty said: "Watching the game in an empty lane is behind the society." During the Spring and Autumn Period, social dramas in rural areas were usually performed in temples or temporary outdoor platforms. Lu Xun's article "Social Drama" vividly depicts the performance of Shaoxing rural social drama in the late Qing Dynasty.

8. Najib

Besides offering sacrifices to the dragon gods, people often hold various activities, such as dragon dancing, wearing dragon tails and writing pens. Dragon dance, in a good year, several ordinary people cooperated to make a grass dragon. On February 2, they took to the streets to celebrate the dragon dance, expecting another bumper harvest in the new year under the protection of dragons.

What are the taboos for dragons to look up?

1, avoid sewing.

On February 2, the dragon looked up, and women were not allowed to move scissors and needles, for fear of stabbing longan and the tap.

2. Avoid carrying water in the morning.

In many places in Shanxi and Hebei, it is forbidden to carry water in the morning. It is said that getting up in the morning to carry water will bring Longzi home, but in Suide, Shaanxi Province, it is unlucky for people to carry water early.

3, avoid grinding.

Hebei Xinhe and Shandong tengxian both avoid grinding flour on the same day for fear of crushing faucets. On the afternoon of the first day of February, Shandong Dongming will clean the mill. Install floor fans and do not use them. Because the local people think that the stone mill is a faucet, it is necessary to lift the faucet on the Dragon Head Festival.

4. Avoid spinning flowers

You can't spin flowers on February 2, because "February 2 spins flowers and dragons catch them", which means lightning shocks people.