February 2nd Festival Essay

I usually live in my grandma's house, and my dad and mom only come to pick me up and take me home every Friday night. On that day, I remember it was Thursday, my normal school day, but my grandmother told me to call my dad and mom early in the morning, saying that they should come to spend the festival in the evening.

"A holiday?" I flipped the calendar, a look at the day is February 26, then feel a little surprised, "I did not hear what today is a festival ah!"

Grandma smiled slightly and said, "Today is the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the Spring Dragon Festival."

"Why didn't I hear about it!"

"Hee hee, look - don't even know what the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar is, our family's 'little doctor' is so insular." Grandma raised her eyebrows, looking smug.

I know that Grandma is clearly trying to get back at me. The other day, she saw a lot of people selling roses on the street and asked me what day it was. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea to get a good idea of what's going on. However, today I am a little embarrassed, even "February 2" is a holiday do not know, let me this "small doctor" in front of grandma how to stand?

That day, when I was going to school, I left a note to my grandfather, asking him to download some information about February 2 for me, and begging him to keep it a secret - I had to find a way to save face in front of my grandmother. That day, I was a little distracted by the lecture, and I kept thinking about February 2nd.

In the middle of the day, Grandpa secretly slipped me a bunch of printed materials, so I closed the door to "catch up". It turns out that "February 2" is known as "Spring Dragon Festival" in the north and "Treading Green Festival" in the south. It is said that "February 2" in the Zhou Dynasty was a day of sacrifice, to the Tang Dynasty has evolved into a folk festival. As the saying goes, "February 2, the dragon carries the head". The origin of this saying is related to ancient Chinese astronomy and agricultural festivals. According to the ancient Chinese astronomical mode of viewing the sky, twenty-eight constellations were identified in the circumference of the ecliptic, known as the twenty-eight lodges, which were divided into four palaces according to the southeast, west, north and west, and were attached to four kinds of animals according to their images. Among them, the seven constellations in the Eastern Palace were visualized as a giant dragon. Every lunar February, in the position of the dragon's head of the corner of the host will appear in the eastern horizon, so commonly known as "dragon head".

Haha, the preparation of the gun, not fast also light - I think, as long as I show "buy now" about the ancient astronomy of a little knowledge, it will be able to put the grandmother "town"! "I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

At lunchtime, I asked my grandmother, "Do you know what it means to be a 'dragon's head'?"

Grandma or a slight smile, said: "My grandson graduated from elementary school this year, and to take the key junior high school, this is the 'dragon's head' ah!"

"This is superstition!" I was going to continue to say something, but I saw Grandpa signaling me to stop, so I swallowed the latter words. Grandpa whispered to me, "This is folklore, not superstition. In folklore, there is always the most ardent hope of the people, when you grow up, you will understand."

I gazed at my grandmother and realized that there was something in her eyes that I had never seen before - it was probably the "most ardent hope" that Grandpa was talking about, wasn't it? Looking at my kind grandmother, my heart was overwhelmed with many feelings. I have never seen how to celebrate February 2nd, and I don't know what kind of delicious food my grandmother will make for us. I learned from the information, in "February 2" this day, the custom is different from place to place. Grandma is a northerner, how will she cook for this festival?

"Grandma, what are we going to eat tonight?" I asked with curiosity. I asked with curiosity.

Grandma still smiled faintly and said, "Keep it a secret."

I was still a little distracted by the lesson that afternoon.

When I came home from school in the evening, I snuck into the dining room like a cat, and saw a plate full of rice cakes on the table - the kind that I bought from the Red Dragonfly Cake Shop - as well as a few cold dishes and a bottle of my favorite Pepsi. The first thing I noticed was that there was nothing special about February 2," he said!

I saw that the kitchen door owed a gap, so I secretly went to "scout". The first time I saw the door open, I went to the kitchen to scout. In the kitchen, my grandmother was putting the thinly sliced pork into a big dish. She was arranging the slices so carefully, one by one in a very orderly manner, pig nose to pig nose, pig ear to pig ear, and after arranging the slices, it still looked like a pig's head that had never been cut up lying there. Then, Grandma sprinkled a lot of chunks of chopped green onion and all kinds of condiments on the pork head, and finally put it in the pot to steam.

It was awful, really awful! I never eat fat meat, how can I spend this festival today?

In the evening, Dad and Mom thanked Grandpa and Grandma at the table, saying that your grandchildren will not fail to live up to your hopes, and will strive to graduate with the best grades, and will definitely be admitted to a key junior high school.

"It's your turn to talk!" Mom tugged on my sleeve, "Please ask 'Dr. Little' to make a toast!"

I kept gawking at the plate of fat, awe-inspiring pork, and for a moment I couldn't speak.

"If you don't say it, you don't say it!" Grandma put a big piece of pig's head meat in my bowl, "Come on, often Grandma's caretaker dish."

Grandpa also encouraged me, "Come on, eat it, this dish has the magical effect of beauty and brain health."

Under the watchful eyes of Grandpa, Grandma, Dad and Mom, I had to put the pork into my mouth - honestly, I wanted to spit it out when they weren't looking. I didn't expect that something magical would happen - then I actually chewed and swallowed it. Grandma's steamed pork, fat but not greasy, into the mouth that is melting, sticky and delicious, that is quite fragrant ah!

Later, I toasted to my grandpa and grandma, thanking them for taking good care of me over the past few years and making me a sensible child. I don't have the courage to show off a little bit of knowledge about ancient astronomy, but just said, "February 2" is folklore, not superstition; folklore is the sea, we can never fully read it. I also said from the bottom of my heart, grandpa and grandma know things is more than me, I have to learn from them forever.

This is the first time in my life to live "February 2nd", I hope to go to my grandmother's house every year to go to "February 2nd". I will take the best experience of my life to love my grandpa and grandma. I will definitely learn more from them as my strength to live and fight. I will always remember February 2 at my grandmother's house.

Related Knowledge

On the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, there is a proverb in Chinese folklore that says, "On the second day of the second month, the dragon carries its head up", which means that spring is coming, everything is recovering, and the stinging dragons are beginning to move around, which signals that the year's agricultural activities are about to begin. In the north, February 2 is also called Dragon Head Raising Day, also known as the Spring Dragon Festival. In the south, it is called Treading Green Festival, which is also known as Pick Vegetable Festival. Since about the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese have had the custom of celebrating February 2nd. According to information records, the origin of this phrase and ancient astronomy on the operation of the stars and the understanding of agricultural festivals.

Ancient Chinese 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, west, north and west, 7 hosts in each palace, and according to their image of the four palaces attached to the 4 kinds of animals. Among them, the 7 hosts of the East Palace were visualized as a huge dragon stretching from north to south, composed of 30 stars.

The 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 Earth's position is shifted, the Dragon constellation will re-emerge, and so on and so forth, the ancients found this law, and to it to determine the season.

The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, China's folk "February 2, the dragon raised its head" proverb, said the arrival of spring, the recovery of everything, the stinging dragon began to move, heralding the start of the year's agricultural activities. In the north, February 2 is also called Dragon Head Raising Day, also known as the Spring Dragon Festival. In the south, it is called Treading Green Festival, which is also known as Pick Vegetable Festival. Since about the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese have had the custom of celebrating February 2nd. According to records, the origin of this phrase is related to the ancient astronomical knowledge of the operation of the stars and agricultural festivals.

Ancient Chinese astronomical observation mode, in the circumference of the ecliptic to determine the 28 constellations, known as the 28 hosts. The ancients divided these 28 constellations into 4 palaces according to the southeast, west, north and west, with 7 hosts in each palace, and attached the four palaces to 4 animals according to their images. Among them, the 7 constellations of the Eastern Palace were visualized as a huge dragon stretching from north to south, consisting of 30 stars.

The 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 is shifted, the Dragon constellation will re-emerge, and so on and so forth, the ancients found this law, and use it to judge the season.

When the first of the seven constellations of the Eastern Palace, known as the "Dragon's Horn", appeared on the horizon, spring was approaching, so the ancients took its appearance as a sign 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, the new rain clear, grass buds and vegetables a moment of life; light shirt, thin horse spring young, cross Zintou a word line."

February 2, China's folk have shaved heads, rituals, honoring the gods of Wenchang, eating noodles, fried cakes, popcorn, eating pig's head and other customs. This day in the diet also has certain preoccupations, because people believe that the "dragon power big hair", so this day's food and drink more in the name of the dragon. Eat spring cake name "eat dragon scales", eat noodles name is "help dragon beard", eat rice is "eat dragon son", eat wontons for "eat dragon eyes "Eating dumplings is called "eating dragon's ear". These customs put forward the strong desire of people to pray for the blessing of the dragon, to bless the wind and rain, and to have a good harvest.

Folklore experts explain why "February 2" is "Dragon Head Raising"

The folk "February 2, Dragon Head Raising" said. Why the second day of February will be "dragon head"? Folklore experts explain this.

According to Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences professor Wang Laihua, this folklore is related to the festival. Around the first day of February is "hibernation". Frogs, snakes, earthworms and many other animals, in winter, will enter hibernation, which is "hibernation". To the next year around the second month of the lunar calendar, the weather is warming up, some insects one after another end of hibernation, began to come out of the activities, seems to be high sun or ear-shattering spring thunder woke up from sleep in general, so this festival is called "hibernation".

Wang Laihua said, the legendary dragon is our ancestors in the snake, earthworms, etc. on the basis of imagination, and therefore the folk will be called the snake "small dragon". Around February 2, snakes and earthworms end hibernation and start activities. Folk believe that the dragon is a symbol of the son of heaven, is auspicious, but also the master of the wind and rain, and "February 2" is the dragon wants to ascend to the sky to start the day of the activity, so it is said that "February 2, the dragon carries the head".

So why not "February 1" or "February 3"? Folklore experts explain that this has something to do with our folklore preference for even numbers.

Folklore experts said that in ancient China, especially the Qin and Han dynasties and before, all like January 1, February 2, March 3 and so on the "heavy day" is considered to be the day of heaven and earth, heaven and man. Therefore, in such days people need to do more prayers, rituals or commemorative activities, in order to seek happiness, well-being and good luck.

Astronomical experts analyze the "February 2, Dragon Head Raising"

"February 2, Dragon Head Raising" symbolizes the return of spring to the earth, the recovery of all things. So, where is the "dragon"? How does it "raise its head"? Astronomy experts explained.

Tianjin Astronomical Society director Zhao Zhiheng said, with the ancient Western astronomy, China divided the stars into "three walls" and "four elephants" seven star area.

The so-called "waki" is the meaning of "city wall". The "three walls" are "Ziwei wall", symbolizing the imperial palace; "Taiwei wall", symbolizing the administrative institutions; "Tianshi wall", symbolizing the prosperous markets. Symbolize the prosperous market. These three walls are arranged in a triangular shape around the North Star. In the "three walls" peripheral distribution of the "four elephants": East Canglong, West White Tiger, South Vermilion Bird, North Xuanwu, that is to say, the star of the East as a dragon, the star of the West as a tiger, the star of the South as a big bird, the star of the North as a tortoise and snake. As the earth revolves around the sun, the star signs in the sky also change with the seasons. Every evening at the turn of winter and spring, the Canglong appears; at the turn of spring and summer, the Xuanwu rises; at the turn of summer and autumn, the White Tiger shows its head; and at the turn of autumn and winter, the Vermilion Bird rises.

There are two stars on the head of the dragon: Jokushu 1 and Jokushu 2, which represent the two horns on the dragon's head. The four stars after "Jiaojuku" are "Kangjuku", which is the dragon's throat, and the four stars below the throat arranged in the shape of a dustpan are "氐宿", which represents the dragon's claws. Behind the dragon's claw are the room, heart, tail and mini-juku, which represent the dragon's heart and tail respectively.

"Shaving the dragon's head on the second day of the second lunar month"

As the saying goes, "If the dragon does not raise its head, the sky will not rain", the dragon is an auspicious object, and is the master of the wind and rain. February 2 of the lunar calendar, people pray for the dragon to raise the head of the clouds for rain, moisturize everything, there is a "February 2 shaving the dragon's head," said. Chinese folk generally believe that in this day shaved head, will make people red luck, lucky stars, therefore, the folk proverb says "February 2 shaved dragon head, a year have spirit head". Every February 2 this day, the family barber store is full of customers, business is booming.

Additionally, in our country's folklore is circulating "the first month of the head cut dead uncle," the saying, so many people in the wax month after the haircut, a month are no longer go to patronize the barber store, until the "February 2" only to lift the ban. However, this folk taboo has gradually faded in recent years.

February 2 is the day of the hibernation of the dragon ascension, and the Chinese have always been to the dragon as a totem, this day "shaving the dragon", reflecting the good wishes of people praying for the blessing of the dragon.

February 2 folk customs

China's Shandong and other areas of the Spring Dragon Festival, with the stove smoke on the ground to draw a dragon, commonly known as the introduction of money dragon. The common belief that attracting the dragon has two purposes: one is to invite the dragon back, Xingyunbu rain, praying for a good agricultural harvest, and the second is the dragon for the God of the insects, the dragon came, the insects will hide, which is beneficial to human health, crop growth. Nantong, Jiangsu Province, folk use flour to make longevity peach, livestock, steamed and inserted in the bamboo sticks, and then inserted in the field at night, that is for the God of the hundred insects and food sacrifices to ancestors, praying for ancestors to drive away insect pests, but also hope that the God of the hundred insects do not endanger the crops.

On this day, it is common to add the title of "dragon" to the name of the food. Eat dumplings called to eat "dragon ear", eat spring cakes called to eat "dragon scale", eat noodles called to eat "dragon beard", eat rice called to eat "dragon child "

The women's wedding ceremony was held at the same time as the wedding ceremony.

Women can not do needlework on this day, because the dragon in this day to raise his head to look at the world, the use of needles will stab the dragon's eyes. Before getting up, women read "February 2, the dragon raised its head, the dragon does not raise its head, I raised my head". After getting up, but also hit the lantern to shine the beams, while shining while reading "February 2, shine the beams, scorpions and centipedes have nowhere to hide". In some places, women stop washing clothes for fear of hurting the dragon's skin, and so on.

The third day of February for Wenchang (master of the god of fame) birthday, the day of the literati to worship Wenchang, and seek the imperial examinations. The old custom, children on February 2 this day to perform the ceremony, indicating the beginning of formal learning. In the past, there were four rites of passage for a scholar, namely, the Rite of the Opening of the Brush, the Rite of Advancement, the Rite of Thanksgiving, and the Rite of the Scholar, of which the Rite of the Opening of the Brush was the first major rite of passage in life. To open the brush is to start writing an essay, and the ceremony mainly consists of worshipping the statue of Confucius, lecturing on the most basic truths of life, and presenting the four treasures of the study room.

The Dragon Raises its Head on February 2

Folklore has it that on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the Dragon King, who is in charge of clouds and rain, raises his head in the sky; from then on, the rainfall will gradually increase. Therefore, this day is called "Spring Dragon Festival".

Northern China is widely spread "February 2, the dragon head; big warehouse full, small warehouse flow." The folk proverb. The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar is a "festival" that has been passed down in the old capital. Not only the capital so, the whole of China and the world's Chinese also still retain this "speak child".

Folklore has it that the dragon opens its eyes on the first day of February, the dragon raises its head on the second day of February, and the dragon sweats on the third day of February. Since the year before and after, "spring hit six nine head" at the time, the old streets and old neighborhoods meet on a quasi recite the "February 2" this day, recite the "February 2" this day mouth of the speakers, The "February 2nd" day mouth talk, rituals and orders. Winter three months of the "Committee Winterer", really let the old and young in the hut of the stifled heart panic, itchy. Said, sleeping in the soil of the dragon can not be idle, can not sleep, that the people still waiting for what? Then don't be bored in the house chatting gossip, go outside the house to get some air! As the thunder of "hibernation" rattled the windowpapers of the eight chairs and eight chairs, they began to tell the younger generation what the dragon looked like, how it opened its eyes, and how it raised its head How the dragon opens its eyes, how the dragon raises its head, how the dragon sweats, how the dragon turns over! At this juncture, the women in charge of the family, grabbed the first day of February in the head of the children, young and old for the family took off a head of winter clothing busy. According to the old rituals, the first to the third can not do work, can not use scissors and needle and thread. Kind women, especially the old lady, the first few days, the whole family up and down the people must not move the knife and cut things, and even behind the back of the family's old and young, the taboo things a bunch of children put away. Sensei you have how urgent and how annoying, how important, from that old lady's mouth is certainly not set out where things are shelved, forced, the old lady annoyed, will be regardless of the Yangzi a scolding: "move the family why, you are not afraid of blinding the eyes of the dragon? Scratch the dragon skin?" And then forced, her old man will bet: "I which, are hidden in the rat hole, you look for it!" Do you have any idea what to do? Can the rat talk? Cotton pants into pants, cotton jacket into jacket, really difficult for the women in charge of the family, a family of seven or eight people, just after the New Year's Eve, has not yet slowed down, and then busy rushing to change the season in February 2, needless to say, get up in the morning and take the night, lamps and oil is not a matter of escape! To tell you the truth, this old woman is very concerned about the February 2nd issue. It is said that "February 2 hit the beams, scorpions (centipedes) do not go down the wall". Ancient old capital, the courtyard house should have a few hundred years, the old house, looking for warm insects and ants to provide a place, who is not afraid to stay in the house well, the beams fell something, even if it fell a scorpion pull tiger (gecko), but also enough to scare you off the soul. Knocking, muttering, knocked awake the living thing on the beam, is to let you move place, do not sleep over a smart fall down! "February 2nd, sweep the bottom of the pot, save wood, fire, no rice". In the old capital, when you slept on a kang and burned wood, the leaves, firewood and smoky coals that were used for heating and cooking in the winter would stain the bottom of the pot with thick black ash, and it would not be a bad thing to take advantage of this seasonal period to clean up, but as for the cost of the rice, I guess it's just for the sake of saying that you have a large population, and you can't be short of the amount of food you should eat when you have to clean up the bottom of a pot! "Sweeping the kang mat on February 2 will keep you fresh until the end of the year". In winter, the kang is warmer than the open air, but there are money bugs and damp bugs hiding in the cracks, nooks and crannies of the kang and under the quilt. From time to time, the old men and women would scare the children who did not know any better and who were still young, and they would talk about the worms crawling here and there, in order to scare the children who were not afraid of anything and who dared to play with anything. However, after this February 2, the bugs are active, in case they are stung and bitten, the beginning of the year, how to say what is bad luck. There are two kinds of bugs must be eliminated at this time, that is, in the wall, the bright pillar cracks, the bed was broken cotton wool hiding hibernation and bedbugs, do not look at them one is hungry without a look, one is starved into the two layers of skin, do not believe it, but they are alive and have the gas it, in a couple of months, the turtle, the male with the wings to fly, the female ran away quickly. That bedbugs, change the way in the middle of the night to climb to the people suck blood, eat into a soybean grain size bulging small red lanterns. Long ago not advocated six six powder, is their fatal nemesis. "February 2" this inside the mother on the child, speak child, gift child is really too much, the old people but like endless, young people also like to enjoy, otherwise why would the dragon in the year of the dragon added that many of the dragon children and grandchildren it! In fact, the dragon is a spiritual heritage, the people are not just looking for something to say. Besides, eat well in order to talk about the energy, have to say. Lunar New Year's Day 23, ate the last meat soup meat dishes under the year, it should be calculated on February 2 how to live. In the first month, no matter how many chickens, ducks, fish and meat in your home, save to eat or not, fee to eat or not, to the twenty-third of this day, the nimble children have to "clean up" clean, want to figure out a good luck? Or the heat up can not stay? Anyway, I can't tell. But there is a pile, you have to understand, February 2 is not a few days away, what to eat that day, year after year, do not have to think about it all clear. "February 2, the dragon head", both said, we have to add color to the dragon is not, why first say eat, eat well, body bones hard to take off.

The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, is commonly known as the day of the dragon head. According to the I Ching, before this day, although it is already spring, but also hibernation, called the "submerged dragon in the abyss". After this day, the Yang energy rises, and the hint of spring is visible, so it is called "seeing the dragon in the field". As the name suggests, the dragon appears and everything begins to come into its own. On this day, the spring flowers in the north begin to show their smiles, as if to tell people: spring is really here.

Legend has it that the empress Wu Zetian set up her own Zhou dynasty and claimed the title of emperor facing south. The Jade Emperor then decreed that the Dragon King would not allow rain to fall for three years. Dragon King heart, can not bear to see the suffering of living beings, willing to violate the will of heaven, descending a heavy rain, the Jade Emperor was furious, will be taken down to punish, pressed under the mountain. Later, the people prayed for him day after day, moving the Jade Emperor to release the Dragon King. This day happens to be February 2nd. Thus, the allusion to "February 2nd, the dragon raises its head" came into being later.

The origin of the February 2nd Dragon Heads Up The festival was called Zhonghe Festival in ancient times, commonly known as Dragon Heads Up. According to folklore, the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar is the day when the Dragon King in charge of clouds and rain in the sky raises his head, and from then on, the rain will gradually increase. The so-called "dragon's head" refers to the hibernation and the awakening of the insects. Therefore, as the saying goes, "On February 2, the dragon raises its head, and scorpions and centipedes show their heads." Therefore, this day is also called "Spring Dragon Festival".

The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar or "hibernation" before and after the earth began to thaw, the weather is gradually warming up, spring, everything is recovering, hibernating in the mud or cave insects, snakes and beasts, from hibernation will wake up, the legendary dragon also woke up from his slumber, the farmers said goodbye to the farm idle, and began to work on the ground. Therefore, in ancient times, the "February 2" is also called "on the second day". Therefore, the Spring Dragon Festival, which is prevalent in China's folklore, was also known as the "Spring Plowing Festival" in ancient times. It is said that if you are not awake on this day, the booming thunder will come to call you.

In the north, February 2 is also called Dragon Head Raising Day, Spring Dragon Festival, Nongtou Festival. Widely circulated "February 2, the dragon carries the head; big warehouse full, small warehouse flow." The folk proverb. In the south called Treading Green Festival, the ancient name of picking vegetables festival. According to the law of climate, the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, most parts of China by the monsoon climate, the temperature rises, the number of hours of sunshine increases, rainfall is also gradually increasing, light, temperature, water conditions have been able to meet the growth of crops, so the second day of the second month of February is also the southern rural agricultural festival. Since about the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese have had the custom of celebrating February 2nd.

Shen Bang "Wandian Department Miscellany" records: "Wanyan people call February 2 for the dragon head. The townspeople use ash from the door outside the euphemistic cloth into the house kitchen, spinning around the water tank, called to draw the dragon back." Ming Yu Yizheng, Liu Dong's "imperial capital scenery" said: "February 2, said the dragon carries the head, fried New Year's Day sacrifice Yu cake, smoked bed bed, said, smoked insects; said the cited dragon, insects do not come out." As the saying goes, "the dragon does not raise his head, the sky does not rain", the dragon is the auspicious thing, and the master of the rain." Spring rain is as expensive as oil", people pray for the dragon to raise the head of the clouds for rain, moisturize everything. At the same time, February 2 is just before and after the hibernation, all the insects, disease prone to birth, the ancient Chinese people divided into caterpillars (hairy beasts), feathered insects (birds), mesopods (crustaceans), scaly insects (scaly fish and winged insects) and human beings of five major categories. The dragon is the longest of the scale insects, and when the dragon comes out, all the insects will hide. Therefore, on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the dragon raises its head in the hope of using the dragon's might to deter bugs from moving around, with the aim of praying for a good agricultural harvest and the safety of people and animals. Ancient Chinese divided living things into caterpillars (hairy beasts), feathered insects (birds), insects (crustaceans), scale insects (scaly fish and winged insects) and human beings five categories. The dragon is the longest of the scale insects, and when the dragon comes out, all the insects will hide. Therefore, on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the dragon raises its head, hoping to borrow the dragon's might to deter the bugs, aiming at praying for a good agricultural harvest and the safety of people and animals.

The legend of the Spring Dragon Festival In the northern folklore of China circulated such a myth. It is said that Wu Zetian became the emperor, annoyed the Jade Emperor, sent a message to the Dragon King of the Four Seas, three years shall not rain to the earth. 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 flower, and set up in the yard incense, for the blossoming of the "golden beans".

The Dragon King looked up and knew that the people to save it, they shouted to the Jade Emperor: "Golden beans bloomed, quickly let me out!" The Jade Emperor looked at the earth's household courtyard golden bean flowers open, had to pass the Oracle, edict the Dragon King back to heaven, continue to give the earth to Xing Yunbu rain. From then on, the folk form a habit, every February 2 this day, the popcorn flower to eat.

This "heaven and earth, into one" folk story, is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient working people; from another point of view also reflects the reality of the ancient agricultural constraints of the weather as well as the ploughman longing for rain and wind, the good wishes of the harvest. But according to the data, "February 2, the dragon head" and ancient astronomy on the stars and the understanding of the agricultural festival.

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 constellations into 4 palaces according to the southeast, northwest and north, with 7 hosts in each palace, and attached the 4 palaces to 4 animals according to their images. Among them, the 7 constellations of the Eastern Palace were visualized as a huge dragon stretching from north to south, which consisted of 30 stars. The 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, the ancients found this law, and to it to judge the season.

When the first of the seven constellations of the Eastern Palace, known as the "Dragon's Horn", appeared on the horizon, spring was approaching, 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, the new rain clear, grass buds and vegetables a moment of life; light shirt, thin horse spring young, cross Zintou a word line."

February 2 customs whenever the Spring Dragon Festival, most areas in the north of China in the morning of this day, every family with a lantern to the well or the river to pick water, back home will be lighted, burn incense, offerings. In the old days, people called this ceremony "lead field dragon". On this day, families also eat noodles, fried cakes, popcorn, than as "picking the dragon head", "eat gentian", "golden bean blossom, the Dragon King ascends to the sky, Xingyunbu rain, the five grains of abundance! "in order to show auspicious celebrations. On this day, there are many other customs, before getting up, read "February 2, the dragon carries the head, the dragon does not raise my head." After getting up, but also hit the lantern to shine the beams, while shining while reading: "February 2, shine the beams, scorpions and centipedes have nowhere to hide." In some places, women do not move the needle and thread, for fear of hurting the eyes of the dragon; some places to stop washing clothes, for fear of hurting the dragon skin, and so on.

February 2 in the diet has certain preoccupations, because people believe that the "dragon power big", will be smooth, to the harvest, so the day's food and drink more to the name of the dragon. Eat spring cake is called "eat dragon scale", eat noodles is "help dragon beard", eat rice is called "eat dragon son"; eat wontons is called "eat dragon eyes Eating wontons is called "eating dragon's eyes", and eating dumplings is called "eating dragon's ears". All of this is to wake up the Dragon King and pray that he will bless the year with good weather and a good harvest.

This day also eat pig's head. Ancient pig's head is a tribute to ancestors, offerings to heaven's offerings, the usual time pig's head is not eaten casually, the average farmer's family worked hard for a year, to the Lunar New Year on the twenty-third of the month to kill pigs and slaughter sheep. From this day onwards will start to improve the food, every day meals to see some meat, New Year's Eve, the whole family ate a reunion dinner, the first day to eat dumplings, broken five to eat dumplings, the first month of the fifteenth to eat the Lantern Festival, wait until the first month of the first year, the year is over, the festival is also over, Lunar New Year to kill the pork basically eaten, and finally there is only one left to a pig's head, which can only stay in the February 2 to eat. The Dragon King is in charge of rainfall, so the farmers have to offer up the best sacrifices for the Dragon King to eat.

Among the many food customs, this day has the most people spreading pancakes and eating fried beans. Folk believe that this day is the birthday of the Dragon King of the East China Sea, and the pancake is the tire coat of the Dragon King. Eating pancakes is to chew disaster for the Dragon King, and throwing pancakes is to bury the tire coat of the Dragon King.

In the past, Beijing to the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, every family to eat "lazy dragon", said to eat "lazy dragon", can lift the spring lazy. The so-called "lazy dragon", is steamed with a long rolled body, the practice is to make a long thin sheet of flour, put and good meat filling, and then rolled into a long strip, disk in the cage drawer, steamed and cut, the family divided and eat. In addition to eating, this day there are a number of "statutes": wake up in the morning before getting up, must first be in bed to read: "February 2, the dragon raised its head, the dragon does not raise my head." To hit the lantern to shine the beams, reading under his breath: "February 2, shine the beams, scorpions and centipedes nowhere to hide." This will drive away the scorpions and centipedes.

On February 2, there is an important activity is to pick up the "aunt", that is, the mother's family to pick up the daughter has been married, so there is a "February 2 to pick up the baby" said. Because the old Beijing people's etiquette, which in the first month of the "aunt" is not allowed to live in the mother's family, the second to the mother's family to pay tribute to the New Year must also be rushed back to the in-laws on the same day. But on the second day of February, the mother's family will come to take their daughter back and stay for a few days or half a month, firstly, because they have been busy for a long time in the first month of the lunar calendar and are quite tired, so they take her back to the mother's home to have a good rest; and secondly, because the new year has just begun and she has to be busy again, so she needs to be given a treat. In the days of being taken back, "Auntie" in addition to food and drink, is the door to chat, relaxed and happy.