The Dragon Head Festival is also commonly known as Long Ta Head. What do you know about the Dragon Head Festival? What are the activities and customs of the Dragon Head Festival? Today, let's discuss the custom of the Dragon Head Festival, which has rich folk activities. Let's take a look at the customs of the Dragon Head Festival to satisfy everyone's curiosity.
What are the customs of the Dragon Head Festival? 1 dragon head festival holiday customs
There are many folk activities around the Dragon Head Festival, which are very rich in content, mainly including:
Dragon Head Festival
In the past, the Dragon Head-raising Festival was a day to worship the dragon god. On this day every year, people will go to the Dragon Temple or the riverside to burn incense and sacrifice to the dragon god, praying that the dragon god will turn clouds into rain and bless the harvest. However, in many areas, especially in the south, people still regard the second day of February as the "land public sacrifice day" and hold social sacrifices to worship the land god.
Dust dragon head festival.
This custom has a long history and is still popular in many rural areas. Ash used for spreading ash is usually wood ash, but there are also lime or chaff. The specific practices vary from place to place, as follows: sprinkling ash in front of the door is called "blocking the door to prevent disasters"; Scattering ash in the corner is intended to "destroy the insects"; Scatter the ashes in the yard, make them into circles of different sizes, and symbolically put some whole grains, which are called "hoarding" or "smashing ash" to wish a bumper year; Sprinkle ash on the edge of the well and call it "Huilong" for good weather. Spraying methods vary from place to place. Generally, it starts from the well, meanders all the way, enters the kitchen, surrounds the water tank, and the gray line twists and turns constantly, which is very interesting.
Smoked insects in dragon head festival
In February of the lunar calendar, the weather gets warmer and all kinds of insects start to stir. Some insects are harmful to people's health, so on February 2, people spread pancakes and burn incense in succession, hoping to drive away poisonous insects with smoke.
The dragon head section hits the beam.
It is to beat the beams with wooden sticks or bamboo poles to scare away poisonous insects such as snakes and scorpions, so as not to cause harm. In some places, it is popular to knock on the edge of the kang for the same purpose as knocking on the beam.
Longtaitou ST haircut
There is a saying among the Han people: My uncle died after shaving his head in the first month. Although this statement is groundless and absurd, it has far-reaching influence. Therefore, no matter how busy people are before the Spring Festival, they should take time to get a haircut, and then wait until the day when the dragon looks up. A haircut on February 2nd, commonly known as "shaving the tap", is said to bring good luck for a year, so "shave your head more on this day".
Fried scorpion beans
The popular custom on this day is to fry scorpion beans. Wei county, Laizhou and other places are called "good news", which is homophonic and stinging. It is said that eating fried scorpion beans will not be stung by scorpions for a year. Yuncheng and other places are called "fried scorpion claws", and children sing while eating: "Eat scorpion claws, scorpions don't have to fight." Scorpion beans are generally fried with soybeans. Some are wrapped in sugar noodles, some are soaked in salt water, which is crispy and delicious, and some are fried with noodles and scorpions, with various patterns. Eating scorpion beans can not only open scorpions, but also people say that whoever eats scorpion claws of seven families can live longer. Except for some areas in Jiaodong, this custom is popular in other places on February 2, but melon seeds and popcorn are added to scorpion beans, which is a new development of the custom of frying scorpion beans.
What are the customs of the Dragon Head Festival? 2. The custom of dragons raising their heads.
Sacrifice to Hua Xushi to celebrate the "Dragon Head Festival" is full of dragon worship, thinking that dragons can control water and rain, decide whether crops are abundant or not, and must not be offended. In the past, people would worship the roller on this morning. It is said that the drum is the embodiment of Qinglong. Some also put out scorpions, indicating that "the dragon looks up" to show dignity and auspiciousness. Women should avoid sewing to avoid "blinding longan"; Don't grind flour, rice or carts, for fear of "breaking the waist and tail of the dragon".
On February 2, most farmers eat "bulging" (rubbing their faces with their hands), commonly known as "pushing the door and pushing the stick". Why eat "bloating"? Some people say that if you eat a "door stick" and hold the door, evil spirits will not enter and you will be safe for one year. Some people say that after the Spring Festival, everyone was bored and confused, ate a "bulging" meal and began to work and live. Some people eat jiaozi on February 2nd, saying that it is to stick the scales and nails of the dragon, so that the dragon can feel refreshed and pray for rain. A few ballads satirize the lazy woman: "After the 23rd day of the first month, the lazy woman was so anxious that there was nowhere to drill. I want to go to heaven again and have no shoes to wear; I want to drill again, but I don't have a knife tip; I'm going to be hanged again, and I can't live without oil on February 2. " There is also a local custom of frying beans on this day. The folk song says, "On February 2nd, the dragon looks up, peas explode in every pot, wake up the dragon king to get up early, and the rain will ensure a bumper harvest." Some people are still burning incense and kowtowing in the nearby Wang Yao Temple, praying for peace.
Local custom: Eating chess pieces and frying beans in Linyi, Tengzhou, Qingdao symbolizes "golden beans blossom".
Stir-fried corn: The legendary tradition of stir-frying corn on February 2nd every year is to commemorate Yi Long's breaking the dogma in order to relieve the suffering of human drought. Legend has it that Yulong was imprisoned by the Jade Emperor because he couldn't bear the people to suffer from drought, and made a rule that only golden beans would be released when they were in bloom. People get together to fry corn because they appreciate Yulong's kindness. Because it looks like golden beans in full bloom, the responsible Taibai Venus made a mistake and released Yulong. The tradition of frying corn on the second day of February every year has also been preserved.
Shaving the tap: refers to the haircut on the second day of February, and it is called "happy head" to give children a haircut. When the dragon looks up, it will bless the healthy growth of children and get ahead when they grow up; Adults get haircuts, say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, hoping to bring good luck and a smooth new year.
Writing with a pen: The third day of the second lunar month is Wenchang's birthday. In the old days, children were asked to write with pens, which was a good omen for dragons to look up. Dressing in cinnabar meant bright eyes and bright hearts, and I wish children grow up to be literate. The opening ceremony is the first gift of life, and it is the traditional form of enlightenment education in China to let children begin to read.
The custom of Manchu dragon raising its head
Yin and spleen on February 2
Women get up at dawn every day. They draw all kinds of circles in the yard and on the ground outside the gate, and draw a cross in the circle. At eight o'clock, they untied the child's front abdomen, let the child lie in the middle of the cross, and printed the spleen on his stomach. The child's mother prayed beside the circle: "the cross of the spleen, the dragon circle formed inside, took away abdominal diseases and never hurt the stomach." This kind of prayer is not for everyone. The prayer of ordinary women is: "Dragon King and Snake Fairy, please protect my children from water sickness. Please ask the Dragon King and the Snake Fairy to walk along the circle painted by the Dragon Roar and walk a few more times to take away the accumulated food of the children and eliminate it. "
This behavior of "printing the spleen" is to remind women to raise their children, eat moderately, and don't eat cold snacks from confidantes, so as to avoid children suffering from "food accumulation", which is also commonly known as "drinking water", that is, there are symptoms such as lumps in their stomachs. Doctors also call this disease "acute disease", which is a digestive system disease.
Er yue er Xiang
On February 2nd, Manchu flag bearers got up early and put incense in the granary of the barn. Twelve gold ingots or green incense were inserted in a granary. Because the incense is inserted in the grain, it will go out by itself when it burns to the root, and there can be no accidental fire.
Women put incense everywhere, and incense is put in the gap of Fangshan wall battlements. If there are cracks, insert them according to local conditions. They put the remaining incense heads or semi-incense in the cracks in the walls, and even put incense in the cracks in the cornerstone of the house. They also pay great attention to safety. Incense inserted in cracks in walls and stones can be ignored, while incense heads inserted in cracks in windowsills and pillars can be checked for a while until the incense is burned out, leaving only incense ashes.
Burning incense on February 2, from all parts of the yard to indoors, inserted when there is a seam, this day is called fumigation day. Because most insects are moving since February 2, these grain insects and moths are pests, and all of them were smoked before the spring epidemic. Women think that this fumigation can keep the house free of pests for a year.