Dragon Head Festival, also known as Spring Dragon Festival and Spring Flower Festival, is a traditional folk festival in Zhengzhou. According to folklore, during the reign of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, people were punished for not raining for three years for offending the Jade Emperor. Rivers and ditches on the earth dry up, trees wither and seedlings die, making it difficult for people to live. The Dragon King in charge of Tianhe couldn't bear to rain on the second day of February, so he was punished. People provided the Dragon King with fried popcorn and beans in return for saving his life, so they moved the Jade Emperor and let the Dragon King continue to rain for the world. Later, on February 2nd, the Dragon King was sacrificed, which became a festival.

Festival introduction

February 2nd is a traditional festival of Han nationality. Popular in most parts of China, Miao, Zhuang, Manchu, Dong, Li, She, Buyi, Hezhe and Ewenki also celebrate this festival. There are many customs and activities in this festival, which are also called Flower Festival, Youth Walking Festival, Lai Picking Festival, Spring Dragon Festival, Qinglong Festival and Dragon Head-up Day. Because it is on the second day of the second lunar month, it is called. This custom was recorded in the Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi's poem "February 2" said: "On February 2, the new rain is dark, and the grass-toothed vegetables are born for a while. The light shirt is ok, Ma Qing is young, and the cross is full of words. " At that time and later, people asked each other about their heritage with knives and rulers, welcomed wealth with 100 grains, melon seeds and fruits, and had activities such as picking vegetables, hiking and welcoming wealth. Yuan Fei wrote in "The Past Life in China": "On February 2nd, Youth Day, people in Renjun County visited and enjoyed the scattered suburbs. ..... ",and Wang Hao's" Guang Qun Fang Pu? Pu Songling quoted Mo Han Ji: "February 2nd is the Flower Lang Festival in Luo Yang, which is also a vegetable picking festival for ordinary people to play. "After the Ming Dynasty, there were many customs about dragons looking up on February 2nd, such as scattering ashes to recruit dragons, helping dragons, smoking insects, avoiding scorpions, shaving faucets and avoiding acupuncture longan, so it was called Dragon Looking Up Day. Qing Xianfeng's "Wuding County Records": ... February 2 is the Spring Dragon Festival, and kitchen ashes are used to surround the house like dragons and snakes, which is called lucky dragons, making money into treasures. "In addition, there are activities to save the customs, such as rushing to work, trial farming, frying scorpion beans, wearing grass, offering sacrifices to the dragon king, respecting the land, respecting food, marrying a woman to live in the spring, and writing by the boy. Buyi people will hold a three-day festival on February 2, mainly to worship the land god. On the day of the festival, every family kills chickens to worship their ancestors and eats two-color (black and white) glutinous rice to pray for the peace of the whole village.

There are many activities about dragons on this day, so it is called Dragon Head-Up Day. The custom of holding the dragon head on February 2nd was first seen in Dong Liu and Yu Yizheng in Ming Dynasty. Volume 2 Chuntian: "On February 2, the dragon looked up, put the leftover cakes from the New Year's Day sacrifice, smoked the bed kang, and said that the insects were smoked, which meant that the dragon was attracted and the insects could not get out." The Qing dynasty still followed its customs. Fu Cha Dunchong's Chronicle of Yanjing: "On February 2nd, the ancient Chinese Peace Festival was also celebrated. Let people look up. During the eclipse, those who eat cakes are called Longlin cakes, and those who eat noodles are called Longxu Noodles. Don't sew in the boudoir, lest you hurt the dragon's eyes. " The dragon is a saint in the ancient culture of China, an auspicious thing, and the master of wind and rain. As the saying goes, "the dragon doesn't look up, it doesn't rain", and the dragon looks up to make rain, and heaven and earth make love clouds to make rain, which is the condition for all things to have children. In addition, in ancient times, it was believed that the dragon was the essence of scale insects, and all kinds of insects were long. When the dragon came out, all kinds of insects hid. At the beginning of February, it is the time when spring returns to the earth and farming begins, and it is also the time when hundreds of insects are stinging and ready to move. Therefore, there are folk actions to help the dragon head, recruit the dragon head and shave the dragon head, and there are customs to eat dragon skin, dragon beard, dragon son and dragon forest cake, as well as taboos such as stopping needles and avoiding grinding.

folklore

This custom dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Shen Bang's "Miscellaneous Notes on Ten Thousand Parts" records: "Ten thousand people call the dragon to look up on February 2. The villagers used a euphemistic cloth to enter the kitchen from the outside and circled around the water tank, calling it Longgui. " Yu Yizheng and Dong Liu, Ming Dynasty's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital", recorded during the Spring Festival: "On February 2, the dragon looked up, and on the first day of the New Year's Day, the leftover cakes were fried, and the bed kang was smoked, which was called attracting dragons, and the insects could not come out." The dragon has an extremely lofty position in the minds of China people. In ancient times, people thought that the dragon was a symbol of the son of heaven, an auspicious thing, and the master of weathering rain. So the proverb "On February 2nd, the dragon looks up" means that spring has come and everything is revived. The beginning of the dragon activity indicates that a year's farming activities are about to begin.

Legend has it that the second day of the second lunar month is the day when the dominant dragon king in the sky looks up; After that, the rain will gradually increase. Therefore, this day is called "Spring Festival". It is widely circulated in northern China that "on February 2, the dragon looked up; The big warehouse is full and the small warehouse flows. " Folk proverbs.

Whenever the Spring Festival comes, in most parts of northern China, every family carries lanterns to fetch water from wells or rivers in the morning, and when they get home, they light a fire, burn incense and offer offerings. In ancient times, people called this ceremony "attracting dragons". On this day, every household will eat noodles, fried oil cakes and popcorn, which are compared with "picking the dragon's head", "eating gentian", "golden beans bloom, the dragon king ascends to heaven, the clouds are raining, and the grains are abundant" to show good luck.

The agricultural proverb "On February 2nd, the dragon looks up" is said that it didn't rain for a long time in Guanzhong area in ancient times, and the Jade Emperor ordered the East China Sea Dragon to sow rain. Xiaolong is playful and dives into the river and never comes out again. A young man went to the cliff to collect "dragon water" to muddy the river. Xiaolong emerged from the river to compete with the young man. Xiaolong was defeated and had to sow rain. In fact, the so-called "dragon heads up" means that after hibernation, all insects begin to wake up. So as the saying goes, "On February 2nd, dragons looked up and scorpions and centipedes appeared."

There is also a saying "February 2nd" called Spring Dragon Festival. Xu Shen's "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" records: "The dragon, the length in the scale, can be quiet and bright, thin and huge, long and short, reaching the sky in the vernal equinox and diving in the autumn equinox." This may be the earliest record of the custom of the Spring Festival. According to legend, when Wu Zetian was emperor, the Jade Emperor ordered that it should not rain on the ground for three years. However, Yulong, who is in charge of Tianhe, couldn't bear the people to suffer from disaster and starvation, and a heavy rain came secretly. When the Jade Emperor learned about it, he buried the Jade Dragon in charge of Tianhe under a mountain. At the foot of the mountain, a monument stands, which reads: The rain of the Dragon King violated heaven and should be punished by the world for generations. If you want to go back to Lingxiao Pavilion, unless the golden beans bloom.

In order to save the Dragon King, people searched everywhere for golden beans in full bloom. On the second day of February of the following year, people were drying golden corn seeds, and it suddenly occurred to them that this kind of corn was like golden beans, which had blossomed after being fried. Isn't it the golden bean that blooms? So every household popped popcorn, put on record and burned incense in the yard, offering "flowering golden beans" to the Dragon King and the Jade Emperor. Knowing that the people were saving it, the Dragon King shouted to the Jade Emperor, "Golden beans are blooming, let me out!" As soon as the Jade Emperor saw that the golden beans in the yard of every household in the world were in full bloom, he would send a message to the Dragon King, asking him to return to heaven and continue to give sex to the world.

Since then, people have formed a habit. On February 2nd every year, people pop popcorn and some fried beans. 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 waste ash is 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". It means to wish the grain a bumper harvest and a full warehouse. During festivals, the names of foods in various places are generally labeled as "dragons". Eating jiaozi is called eating "dragon ears"; Eating spring cakes is called eating "Longlin"; Eating noodles is called eating "dragon beard meat"; Eating rice is called eating "dragon son"; Eating wonton is called eating "longan"

There are many other customs on this day. Read "February 2nd, the dragon looks up, the dragon doesn't look up, I look up." After getting up, you should light a lantern on the beam, and read "Scorpion and centipede have nowhere to hide" according to the beam on February 2. In some places, women don't move a needle and thread for fear of hurting dzi; Some places don't wash clothes for fear of hurting the dragon skin, and so on.

From a scientific point of view, around the second day of the second lunar month, the earth began to thaw, and the weather gradually warmed up. Farmers bid farewell to leisure and began to work in the fields. Therefore, in ancient times, "February 2" was also called "the last two days". Therefore, the Spring Dragon Festival, popular among the people in China, was also called "Spring Farming Festival" in ancient times. It is said that if you don't wake up this day, the rumble of thunder will call it.

Festival formation

The second day of the second lunar month is an important traditional folk festival in China, which is about one of the 24 solar terms. Since then, spring has returned to the earth, everything has revived, dormant insects have begun to be unearthed, all kinds of animals have regained their vitality, and the legendary dragon has woken up from a deep sleep and is about to ascend to heaven. It is raining. The folk proverb says, "On February 2nd, the dragon looked up."

When was the Dragon Head Festival formed?

According to research, as early as the Tang Dynasty, the second day of the second lunar month had the nature of a festival. On this day, people invite each other to go hiking in the wild, which is called "welcoming the rich"; By the way, dig some wild vegetables and take them home to taste. This is called "picking vegetables". In the Song Dynasty, February 2nd gradually evolved into a formal festival, called Picking Vegetables Festival and Walking Hole Festival. This was reflected and recorded in some poems and documents at that time. For example, in the Northern Song Dynasty, the poem "February 2nd Vegetable Picking Festival, Rain Can't Come Out" was written, and in the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen wrote "A Record of Years Old", quoting "A Record of Redundancy in a Pot", saying: "The custom in central Sichuan always takes February as an outing festival."

However, we still can't see the shadow of "the dragon looks up" in February 2 nd of Tang and Song Dynasties and its activities. February 2 nd was linked to "the dragon looks up" in the Yuan Dynasty. Xiong's book Analysis of the End of Yuan Dynasty mentioned: "On February 2nd, Longteng. At the fifth watch, families used lime to draw wells and narrate their way home, so men and women didn't have to sweep the floor, lest longan be surprised. " So far, this is the earliest written material we can see that records "On February 2nd, the dragon looked up". According to this material, it can be concluded that the Dragon Head Lifting Festival was formed in the Yuan Dynasty.

Some folklore scholars speculate that the Dragon Head-lifting Festival was first formed in the Yellow River valley, and then gradually spread to other areas, so that most parts of China and even some ethnic minorities celebrated the Dragon Head-lifting Festival.

Judging from the names of festivals, there are great differences among regions. Besides the name Dragon Head-lifting Festival, we also know Dragon Head-lifting Festival, Dragon Head-lifting Festival, Spring Dragon Festival, Dragon Head-lifting Festival and so on. Usually, people in many areas are used to taking this festival as the name of the festival and directly calling it February 2. On February 2 nd, there were many taboos among the people, such as "don't pump water in the morning" for fear of touching the "faucet" and making Prince Long angry; Also, women are not allowed to use needle and thread, in case they accidentally stab the "longan" and puncture the "faucet".

With the development of society, Dragon Head-lifting Festival, as a traditional festival formed in the agricultural era, has gradually faded out of modern people's lives, and its rich folk activities and profound cultural connotations have been little known.

Festival custom

There are many folk activities around the Dragon Head Festival, which are very rich in content, mainly including:

Dragon Boat Festival: In the past, the Dragon Head Lifting 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.

Ash scattering: 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 February of the lunar calendar, the weather gets warmer and all kinds of insects begin 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.

Beating beams: Beat 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.

Haircut: There is a folk saying: 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".

Nowadays, 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. Now, except for some areas in Jiaodong, the custom of February 2 is popular in other places. However, melon seeds and popcorn are added to scorpion beans, which is a new development of the custom of frying scorpion beans.

On February 2nd, according to legend, the dragon looked up, and the original area of Jinan Prefecture was called Qinglong Festival or Spring Dragon Festival and Dragon Head Festival. Other places in Shandong are often called February 2, and Liangshan is called the Dragon Head Festival. Before the Tang Dynasty, February 2nd was not considered as a seasonal festival. During the middle Tang Dynasty, activities such as picking vegetables, welcoming the rich and climbing mountains were popular in Sichuan and Shaanxi, which were called "picking vegetables festival" and "welcoming the rich day". At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, February 2 in the north increased the content of raising the dragon's head, and gradually evolved into a festival with the main content of expelling pests and praying for a bumper harvest. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there have been some custom activities in Shandong, such as inviting dragons, smashing hoards, smoking insects in pancakes, beating beams and rats, and frying beans for good news. It is rare to pick vegetables to welcome the rich.

Many festivals and customs on February 2 are related to the dragon's head rising. On this day, in Yuncheng and other places, every household should hang the upper fan of the stone mill, called the faucet. It is said that only in this way can "rain flow everywhere and have food and clothing for a year". Weihai and other places get up early to steam cakes and worship the spring dragon. Tengzhou and other places steamed buns on this day, called "steamed dragon eggs"; Eating noodles is called "Longxu Noodles". Some places eat cakes called "Longlin cakes"; Eating vegetable dumplings is called "dragon egg". But some places don't eat noodles or drink small rice on this day, because noodles are called dragon whiskers and millet is called dragon seeds, which may affect the health of dragons. In the past, people used to cut their hair on the day when the dragon looked up, and children entered school for good luck on that day. In Haiyang and other places, white flour or soybean flour is used to make Jackie Chan, which is called a magic worm, and it is put in a grain depot and a flour jar, wishing the whole grain flour inexhaustible. In Weihai, Longkou and other places, children's hats are hung with strings of round colored cloth, which are called little dragon tails; In some places, there are recreational activities, such as playing dragon lanterns, to cope with festivals.

On the second day of the second lunar month, the size is a festival, but when it comes to why it is a festival today, what is the official name and origin of this festival? People in my hometown call today "February 2" according to the date, so "February 2" is the name of the festival. Since I can understand why festivals have to wait for magical things, I take it for granted that today is February 2.

In rural areas, there are no three, six or nine festivals. All traditional festivals have to go through the motions. Grandma believes in ghosts and gods, and took a fancy to this kind of price tag as a holiday day. Therefore, every festival in our family should be celebrated.

During the 20-year holiday, I also figured out some doorways. Festivals, big or small, must be related to eating. The same is true of "February 2".

On this day, corn is not only for people, but also for crows. People who have children at home usually do this. Give the children a bowl of cooked corn kernels and let them stick to the branches and needles near the house for the crows to eat. The reason for this is that crows who eat corn are smart and will become champions in the future.

At noon, most people eat jiaozi. In our country, jiaozi is the staple food for festivals, and it is indispensable for festivals. It is also a custom to visit the southeast of Shanxi. I am afraid that the failure of Jin cuisine to enter the eight major Chinese cuisines has something to do with this tradition.

The special feature of "February 2" Festival is that it has no activities. The main content of the festival is to eat something different from usual, including pancakes and rice porridge as dinner. After eating, the festival ended smoothly. So this festival is a bit puzzling.

Festive diet custom

Spring cake: Beijing folk food, a kind of thin baked flour cake, also known as pancake. Every year, at the beginning of spring, Beijingers eat spring cakes, which is called "biting spring". The second day of the second lunar month is the day when dragons look up ("February 2, dragons look up"). On this day, Beijingers also eat spring cakes, which is called "eating Longlin".

Spring cakes are bigger than roast duck pancakes, and they are tough (Beijingers call them "strong gluten") because they have to roll a lot of dishes before they can be eaten. In the past, when eating spring cakes, we paid attention to going to a box restaurant called "Pan Su" (also called box lunch). Box hotel is a sauce meat shop, and the store sends people to deliver food to your door.

There are smoked pot belly, pine nut pot belly, oven meat (a kind of roast pork), sauce meat, smoked elbow, sauce elbow, sauce mouth strip, smoked chicken, sauce duck and so on in the box. Be put in a picture frame. When eating, you should change the knife and cut it into filaments, such as several home-cooked dishes (generally fried pork with leeks, fried pork with spinach, vinegar with mung bean sprouts, fried noodles with vegetarian ingredients, and spread eggs). ) Here we go. Seasonings include shredded onion and sesame oil yellow sauce (roast duck with sweet noodle sauce).

When eating spring cakes, the family sits around and puts the baked spring cakes in a steamer, taking them with them while eating, in order to have a hot meal. If you eat spring cakes on February 2, Beijingers also pay attention to taking married girls home.

Snowballing usury: a kind of bean flour cake, a Beijing Muslim snack. Knead steamed yellow rice (or glutinous rice) into a ball, sprinkle with fried soybeans, add red bean stuffing, roll into strips, sprinkle with sesame seeds, osmanthus fragrans and sugar. Because the food stalls in the Qing Dynasty were made and sold now, the bean noodles were sprinkled as they were made, just like the donkeys in the country rolling on the spot, covered with loess, so they got the name of humor.

According to the custom of old Beijing, people always like to buy "snowballing usury" in February of the lunar calendar, so there are many vendors and pushers who deal in this kind of food, such as the "rice cake tiger" in Baijia food stall and Tianqiao market.

The holiday diet on February 2nd varies from place to place. In addition to the pancakes, noodles and steamed stuffed buns on it, some people eat flower cakes, which means climbing higher and higher step by step. Longkou and other places keep a steamed cake for this day. Some people eat pancakes, and Yuncheng and other places think that pancakes can be laid on the bottom and covered with tips to prevent rats and moths and ensure the granary. People in Zaozhuang and Shanxian rest on this day to improve their lives, saying, "On February 2nd, don't work, sit down and eat big steamed buns."

In the past, people generally regarded the Spring Festival as the end of the annual festival series, stopped all kinds of entertainment activities and began to resume business as usual. Long-term porters begin to work, which is called working days; Ordinary farmers began to try to plow the fields. There is a custom in Haiyang and other places. People who help plows worship plows first and sing a happy song: "In the new year, plows break ground, cows step on an acre of harvest, a millet is planted in spring and 10,000 grains are harvested in autumn." Then penny went to the field to plow symbolically. The custom of Longkou is to start farming on February 2, and choose to try farming without warehouse in advance. Legend has it that February 2 is the birthday of the land god, and some places offer sacrifices to the land god on this day, which is also related to the beginning of spring ploughing production on that day. Northwest Shandong also has the habit of harvesting the sun on February 1st.

The Dragon Head Festival is also called "Qinglong Festival" and "Spring Dragon Festival". According to legend, the Dragon Head Festival originated in Fuxi period. Fuxi "attaches importance to agriculture and mulberry, and works hard in the fields". On the second day of February every year, "the emperor delivers meals and the royal family cultivates the fields". Later, the Yellow Emperor, Tang Yao, Yu Shun and Yu Xia followed suit. When I arrive in Zhou Wuwang, a grand ceremony is held on the second day of February every year. I work with civil and military officials. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, people took February 2nd as a day to welcome wealth, and on this day, they had to eat snacks. Zhou Mi, a Song Dynasty poet, once wrote in the Old Wulin that in the Southern Song Dynasty, an entertainment activity of "picking vegetables" was held in the Tiangong on the second day of February, and fresh vegetables such as lettuce were inserted into small cockroaches placed at the banquet, so that ministers could guess the names of the dishes and reward and punish them according to the correct results. According to legend, the second day of February is 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. When many people go home for an outing, they pick some flowers and leaves along the way and bring them home to offer sacrifices in front of the door to express their prayers for "welcoming the rich".

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was a saying that "the dragon looked up on February 2". On the second day of February every year, the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties went to Xiannongtan or Yuanmingyuan to hold a grand ceremony of "riding a horse to plow the fields". The emperor symbolically cultivated "an acre of land divided into three parts" or "an acre of garden", praying for a bumper harvest of agriculture this year, so that the people could have plenty of food and clothing.

On February 2nd, the Dragon Head Festival is also a major folk festival in old Beijing. At that time, there were many customs such as eating noodles, eating spring cakes, frying oil cakes, attracting dragons to smoke insects, peeling pig's face, popping popcorn and so on.

As the saying goes, "On February 2nd, when you look at the house beams, scorpions and centipedes have nowhere to hide", farmers in old Beijing will drive away pests according to the house beams and walls, light candles and drive away scorpions and centipedes, and these insects will fall down and be eliminated as soon as they see the light. On February 2nd, there is a custom of "attracting dragons to smoke insects". The ancients believed that when dragons came out, hundreds of insects lurked and crops could be harvested. Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, "Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jing" said: "Villagers use ash to wind into the kitchen from the outside and rotate around the water tank, which is called bringing dragons back." Fumigation is also to prevent pests from damaging and causing trouble, and to ensure a bumper harvest of grain. In the book "On the Central Records", it is said that "on the second day of February, families use millet flour, jujube cakes, frying in oil, or making pancakes with white flour and thin stalls, which is called fumigation". The custom is that women should avoid sewing on this day so as not to hurt the dragon's eyes; Don't go to the well to draw water before the sun comes out, lest the bucket hurt the faucet; On this day, everyone has to get a haircut, which means that the dragon looks up and is lucky. Hairdressing children is called "scraping the tap". Most of the boys born on this day are named Dalong, Baolong and Jinlong. It is a custom in old Beijing to take back the married "aunt" on this day. As the saying goes, "you can not pick up the baby on February 2, but you can't cry."

Like other holiday customs, there are many food customs on February 2, and there are also auspicious names of dragons, such as eating jiaozi as "dragon's ears", eating rice as "dragon's son", eating wonton as "dragon's teeth", eating spring cakes as "dragon's skin", steaming cakes and making dragon forest shapes on the cake surface, which are called "Longlin cake" and eating noodles as "Longxu Noodles".

Old Beijingers like to eat pig's head meat, especially on February 2nd. In rural areas, pigs and sheep should be slaughtered to prepare new year's dishes on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, and pig heads should be reserved for offering sacrifices to the Buddha on February 2nd. People in quadrangles in the city also have the folk custom of offering pig heads to Buddha and ancestors on New Year's Eve and February 2nd.

In the past, popcorn was heard in the streets and alleys of Beijing, and it was still related to February 2. It is said that it originated from myths and legends. Legend has it that after Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, the Jade Emperor was furious and told the Four Seas Dragon King not to rain on earth for three years. But the Dragon King in charge of Tianhe saw the misery of human starvation due to drought, and he secretly rained for the world. The people were saved, but the dragon king was punished at the foot of the mountain by the jade emperor, and a stone tablet was erected, which read: "The dragon king should be punished for violating the laws of heaven. If you want to return to peak tower, unless the golden beans bloom. " In order to repay the Dragon King for saving his life, people searched everywhere for golden beans in full bloom, but they couldn't find them! On the first day of February, an old woman went to the market to sell corn, and golden corn seeds were scattered all over the floor. People saw it and thought, isn't this corn seed just a golden bean? Won't it bloom after frying? So on February 2, everyone fried popcorn and put on record in the yard to burn incense to worship the Dragon King. As soon as the Jade Emperor saw that the golden bean really blossomed, he freed the Dragon King from his sin and put him back in charge of the wind and rain. Soon, a spring rain and a bumper harvest of agriculture. Since then, on February 2nd every year, the people have to fry popcorn and sing "On February 2nd, the dragon looks up, the big hoard is full, and the small hoard is flowing", expecting a good harvest.

Related poems

The second day of the second lunar month (Liu Xiaofeng)

The dragon looked up at the day.

Look up and see happiness.

Nanping borrows Dongfeng

The waves are rising in Wan Li.

Note: Dragon Head Raising: The second day of the second lunar month is a folk Dragon Head Raising Festival. Nanping borrows the east wind: In the forty-ninth chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang borrowed the east wind to build a seven-star altar on Nanping Mountain, and led Sun Liu's allied troops to set fire to Chibi in Battle of Red Cliffs, defeating Cao Jun.

In central Hebei, the second day of the second lunar month, also known as the second festival, is called "the dragon looks up". Early that morning, the villagers scrambled to draw water to attract dragons. Whoever leads the dragon home first will grow well. In addition, there are customs such as patting the kang, hitting the corner, and avoiding porridge for breakfast.

Inheritance and development

In ancient China, the worship of dragons continued, and dragons were more and more clearly regarded as animal gods in charge of rain. Therefore, in the fifth year of Zuo Zhuan, Huan Gong said that "the dragon is now", which means that the dragon will appear after being electrocuted and stung, and a sacrifice to pray for rain will be held at this time. Shan Hai Jing, a geographical myth work during the Warring States Period, also said that Ying Long lived in the south, "so it was rainy in the south", while Candle dragon "didn't eat or sleep, and the wind and rain were a disaster", which often attracted wind and rain. Because imaginary dragons can fly in clouds and fog, superstitious dragons can bring good luck to people, and when they arrive on earth, they can become emperors, so the emperor is called the real dragon emperor.

The earliest record of holding a rain-seeking activity directly with the help of the image of a dragon can be found in Dong Zhongshu's Spring and Autumn Stories in the Western Han Dynasty. The book mentions dancing dragons for rain. The stone reliefs of the Han Dynasty are also engraved with the dance scene of "playing with dragons". These can be regarded as the origin of playing dragon lanterns in later generations.

People in the Tang Dynasty have regarded the second day of February as a special day, saying that it is a day to welcome wealth, and eating "fruit to welcome wealth" on this day means eating some snacks. The court of the Song Dynasty also had special activities on this day. When the Song people carefully recorded the Southern Song Dynasty in Old Wulin, there was a "Cai Cai" royal banquet in the palace on the second day of February. At the banquet, fresh vegetables such as lettuce are planted in some small hooves (measuring instruments with small mouths and big bottoms), and the names are written on silk and placed under the hooves for everyone to guess. According to the result of the guess, there are rewards and punishments. This activity is both an early adopter and an entertainment, so at that time, "the palace is also more effective." However, these "February 2" activities in the Tang and Song Dynasties have nothing to do with "Dragon Rising". February 2 of the Yuan Dynasty was clearly "the dragon looked up". Analysis of Tianjin Record mentioned that "February 2nd is the day when the dragon rises" when describing the customs of metropolis in Yuan Dynasty. On this day, people eat noodles, which is called "Longxu Noodles". There are pancakes called "Longlin"; If it includes jiaozi, it is called "dragon tooth". In short, it should be named after the dragon body.

Related taboo

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 boiled seeds of Chinese herbal medicines and put some food on them when returning them. In some areas, return is not allowed until the user comes to pick it up.

16, pour tea and wine for the guests, and don't point the spout at the guests.

17. Ask a stranger for directions, and don't be called "Big Brother".

18, avoid saying "buy corresponding" when trading.

19, middle-aged people should not say 4 1 year, and centenarians should not say "centenarians".

20. Brothers and sisters should avoid humor and treat other people's sisters as jokes.

2 1, marriage is forbidden to see funeral.

22. Avoid turning your back to people and facing pots, pans and dining tables when eating.

23, an uncle is alive, and he should not shave his head in the first month.