Dragon Head Raising Day (Dragon Head Raising Festival)

According to folklore, every second day of the second lunar month is the day when the Dragon King, who is in charge of heavenly sexuality, 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.

The second day of the second lunar month is a "festival" handed down from the old capital. Not only in Beijing, but also in China and other parts of the world, Chinese people still keep this "message".

According to folklore, Yi Long opened his eyes in early February, the dragon looked up in early February, and the dragon sweated in early February. Since the beginning of the new year, when "spring strikes six or nine heads", when we meet in old streets and squares, we will definitely say "February 2" and say that "February 2" is the date of speech, ceremony and order. Dong Er's appointment in the third month of winter really made the aggrieved young and old in the hut feel flustered.

I told you that dragons sleeping in the soil are restless and can't sleep, so what are you waiting for? Then stop chatting in the house and get some air outside! The old people who talked about children, ceremonies and them began to sort out and tell what this late-born dragon or a "child bud" dragon looked like, how it opened its eyes, how it looked up, and how it sweated and turned over.

At this juncture, the women in charge hold the head of the first day of February and are busy taking off their winter clothes for people of all ages in the family. According to the old rules, you can't work from the first day to the third day, and you can't use scissors and needles. Kind-hearted women, especially elderly women, shouted and were afraid in the first few days. The whole family must not touch things like knives and scissors, or even pile up taboo things behind their backs. No matter how anxious, angry and important you are, you can't find out where to put things from that old lady's mouth. If you are in a hurry, the old lady will get angry. She will yell, "What are you doing with that family? Aren't you afraid of blinding longan? " Cut the dragon skin? "If we push harder, her old lady will say angrily," Where am I? I hid in a mouse hole. Go find it! "You say, what do you think? Can that mouse talk?

Cotton trousers are hard to turn into trousers, and cotton-padded jackets are hard to turn into jackets. The woman in charge is very hard, and there are seven or eight mouths at home. Just after the new year, I haven't recovered yet, and I am busy changing seasons on February 2. Needless to say, it is impossible to get up early and stay up late, light a lamp and light oil!

To tell the truth, to tell the truth, the old lady is very attentive to February 2.

It is said that "on February 2, I hit the beam and the scorpion swam the earthworm (centipede) without going down the wall."

The ancient capital and houses in quadrangles should have a history of hundreds of years. The old house provides a place for insects and ants to find warmth. Who is not afraid to stay indoors? Something falls from the beam, even if a scorpion pulls a tiger (gecko), it will scare your soul away. Knocking on the door, muttering and waking up the living things on the beam is to make you move, don't oversleep and fall down! "Sweep the bottom of the pot on February 2nd, save wood and fire.

When Dong Er comes down, leaves, firewood and bituminous coal used for heating, cooking and fire will stain the bottom of the pot with thick black ash. It's not a bad thing to have a general cleaning this season. As for Fermi, it's not a bad thing. It should be easy to say. Your family has a large population, so you can't eat less when sweeping the bottom of the pot! "Sweep the mat on February 2, and it will be clear and cool until the end of the year."

In winter, kangs are warmer than those in the open air. Money bugs (millipedes) and tide bugs are hidden in the seams, corners and quilt bottom of the kang. From time to time, old men and women scare young boys and girls who are not sensible and criticize the mysterious words of this bug crawling everywhere, in order to scare those fearless children who dare to play with anything. But after February 2, the bugs will live. If they bite them, it will be unlucky at the beginning of the Lunar New Year. At this time, there are two kinds of insects that must be eliminated, namely, turtles and bedbugs. They hide in the wall, in the gap of the fence, and in the broken cotton wool of the kang. Although one of them is hungry, the other one is hungry, with two layers of skin. Don't believe it, they are still alive and angry. In a month or two, the water turtles, male with wings and female with wings, quickly ran away. That bug, somehow, crawled on people in the middle of the night to suck blood and ate a red lantern the size of a soybean. Liuliufen, which has long been ignored, is their fatal nemesis.

February 2 is really full of mom's comments, speeches and gifts, but old people like it endlessly, and young people like it so much. Otherwise, there will be so many children in the Year of the Loong!

In fact, the dragon is a kind of spiritual inheritance, and ordinary people just find some topics. In addition, you can speak energetically only if you eat well.

On the 23rd day of the first lunar month, after eating the last broth in the coming year, we should plan how to spend February 2nd.

In the first month, no matter how many chickens, ducks and fish you have at home, it is good to eat less or spend money on it. By the 23rd, Mary must "clean up". Think it's luck? Or is it too hot to stay? I can't tell you about it in any case. But there is one thing you must understand. It will arrive on February 2 nd in a few days. It's obvious what you ate that day and how you spend it every year without thinking about it.

"On February 2nd, the dragon looks up", if you say it, you have to add color to the dragon. Why do you say eat first, eat well, and take it off when it's hard? You see, old ladies, 18 kinds of martial arts have been used.

Lantern Festival is dzi; Noodles are dragon whiskers; Fire is the dragon's tongue; Jiaozi is a dragon ear; Pancakes are dragon skins; Rice is a dragon; Steamed bread is a dragon egg. The most puzzling thing is, put on a few pairs of chicken feet, saying it's dragon feet. The dishes that add to the fun are: mustard sprouts stir-fried soybean mouth, the homonym of mustard is "borrowing money", and soybean mouth (not soybean sprouts) stands for "golden beans"; The old salted egg cut open the oil pan and called "financial resources rolling in"; The last tofu is named "tofu"; The cabbage head specially left is peeled and washed, which is used to wrap the dishes and rice on the table and eat it. This is called "wealth protection". Don't say goodbye to eating "Bao Cai", but eat a picture with it.

custom

Whenever the Spring Festival comes, in most parts of northern China, every family carries lanterns to fetch water from wells or rivers this morning, and when they get home, they light up, burn incense, offer gifts and get a haircut (it is a custom to get a haircut in the first month). 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.

Related records

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.

romaunt

Story 1

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."

Story 2

"On February 2nd, the dragon looked up and the spring rain flowed everywhere. How can I know that the Dragon King is worried? " There is a touching story in this simple nursery rhyme.

A long time ago, the Dragon King of the East China Sea gave birth to three dragons, and only one dragon girl was missing. The dragon king thought it would be nice to have another princess with two children! When the Queen Mother knew about it, she gave the Dragon Mother an elixir. Soon, mother dragon became pregnant. On February 2nd of the following year, the dragon mother gave birth to a white chubby daughter.

The little princess grew up day by day, tired of life in the Dragon Palace and eager to find real happiness on earth. The dragon mother knows her daughter's heart. She advised the princess to say, "Son, the Dragon Palace has no worries. Why go to the world? " "Children and grandchildren only know how to eat, drink and be merry," said the dragon lady. I must go to the earth and find a really interesting life. " The dragon mother has made up her mind to see her daughter. Quietly sent her out of the Dragon Palace and gave her a kit.

The dragon lady reluctantly bid farewell to her mother, flew over ninety-nine rivers and ninety-nine mountains, and came to the foot of a big mountain. The princess looked around and saw that the land far and near was cracked, the crops hung their heads, and the sun was roasting the earth. Not far away, a young man is working hard in the field. The princess went over and asked, "will you get anything from farming on such a dry day?" The farmer said with a wry smile, "What can we do? The old mother at home still depends on me to support her! " The dragon lady sympathized with him and took out some red beans from the toolkit and scattered them on the ground. Soon, there was a dense fog in the field, and the withered seedlings were green. When the farmer saw it, he quickly saluted her and said, "Fairy, there is a drought in Fiona Fang for hundreds of miles. Please ask the gods to save the poor. " Dragon girl was very moved, she thought, he is really a good man, thinking of others. It's really my bosom friend! So she grabbed a handful of red beans from her toolkit and threw them into the sky. Suddenly there was lightning and thunder, and the rain poured down. After the rain cleared, the mountains turned green, the crops turned green, and people showed a comfortable smile on their faces. The young man thanked the girl gratefully. A red cloud rose on the princess's face and said, "Don't thank me, just ask us to get back together in a hundred years." The young man listened and took the girl home sweetly.

In addition, when the dragon king learned that the princess had left the Dragon Palace, he was very angry and wouldn't let his mother see her daughter. The dragon mother misses her daughter every day. Every year, on the second day of the second lunar month, she would surface and cry in the direction of her daughter's departure. Her crying turned into thunder, and her tears turned into spring rain.

Story 3

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, the vernal equinox reaches the sky, and the autumn equinox is deep." 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, on the second day of the second lunar month, the earth began to thaw, and the weather gradually warmed up. Farmers bid farewell to their leisure time and began to work in the fields. Therefore, in ancient times, "February 2" was also called "the last two days". Therefore, the Spring Festival, which was 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.

folk-custom activities

1, followed by "goo goo"

There is also an important activity on February 2, that is, picking up the "aunt", that is, picking up the married daughter at home, so there is a saying that "picking up the baby on February 2". Because old Beijingers have a lot of manners, among them, "aunt" can't live in her mother's house in the first month. After going to her mother's house on the second day of the second year, she must also go back to her husband's house that day, especially the newly married "aunt". But on the second day of February, her family came to pick up her daughter and stayed for a few days or half a month. First, I was busy for a long time in the first month. When I was tired, I took her home and had a good rest. Second, the new year has just begun, and you have to be busy again. Treat her well. Spring cakes, which are pancakes, are usually served. In the days when I was taken back, my "aunt" just chatted around and was relaxed and happy.

2. Emperor cultivated land

Another activity on February 2nd was the emperor ploughing the fields. Because on February 2 every year, almost before and after the shock, "a plow goes into shock, and the vernal equinox is full of gas." Since then, it has been a busy time for spring ploughing in the north. In order to mobilize people to invest in spring ploughing production quickly and not miss the farming season, on February 2, the emperor will symbolically lead officials out of the palace to loosen the soil for his "one acre and three points". The emperors of the Ming and early Qing dynasties went to Xiannongtan to plow and loosen the soil on February 2 every year. Starting from Yong Zhengdi in Qing Dynasty, they went to Yuanmingyuan on February 2 every year and cultivated land in the "one acre garden" (now the west side of Yuanmingyuan in Haidian). There used to be a New Year picture called "The Emperor Ploughing the Fields". In the picture, an emperor wearing a crown and a dragon robe is plowing the land by hand, followed by a minister, carrying a bamboo basket in one hand and sowing seeds in the other. A seven-pin county magistrate in robes is in charge, and in the distance is the queen and maid-in-waiting who pick baskets to deliver meals. There is also a jingle in the painting: "On February 2, the dragon looked up, the emperor plowed the fields and drove the cows, and the queen in the palace always delivered meals. The courtiers lost their species, and Xia Geng led the world in spring, and the crops were abundant in autumn and autumn. " This painting also shows that people hope to have an enlightened emperor who can personally cultivate Xia Yun in the spring, so that the people can have plenty of food and clothing.

3. Folk dragons look up

"On February 2nd, the dragon looked up, but the dragon didn't look up." This old saying sets the tone for people's high spirits. The dragon is a mythical thing imagined by people and the master of weathering rain. "It won't rain if the dragon doesn't look up", and "the dragon looks up" is synonymous with rain. During this period, the average temperature in most areas rose steadily to above zero degrees Celsius. As the weather gets warmer, the cumulus clouds formed by convection gradually increase, and the precipitation naturally turns more obvious.

"February 2" is a day related to astronomy, climate, farming and health care, and there are many of them. Since we want the dragon to look up, we must find a way to draw it out. Since the Ming dynasty, there has been the act of scattering ashes to recruit dragons. Shen Bang's "Ten Thousand Miscellaneous Poems" wrote: "Ten thousand people call for the dragon to look up on February 2. The villagers euphemistically put ash into the kitchen from the outside and turned around the water tank, calling it Longgui. " On February 2 every year, every household sprinkles lime around the water tank from the gate to the house and then to the kitchen. It is forbidden to sweep the floor and do needlework on this day, saying that it is afraid of hurting dragons. Another layer of lime powder is to prevent revived insects from breeding in the house. Therefore, it is necessary to illuminate the wall beams and corners with open flames. "On February 2 nd, the beam shines, and the scorpion centipede has nowhere to hide." Some grandmothers beat the kang with a broom and said, "Knock on the kang": "Knock on the kang, knock on the head of the kang, knock on the edge of the kang, but scorpions and centipedes won't pick it up!" In the countryside, on this morning, cultivators draw five big circles with kitchen ashes in the yard, and put grains in the middle, which is called "hoarding". I hope the weather is fine, there are many crops and the warehouse is full and round. Otherwise, how to say "on February 2nd, the dragon looked up, the big warehouse was full, and the small warehouse flowed"?

In the north, on the second day of February, it is already a good time to prepare the soil and sow. According to "Ancient and Modern Beijing", it was customized in Qing Dynasty. Every year, the emperor goes to the Xiannong altar to worship the god of agriculture. After the salute, it is necessary to plow the fields for show, even if the jade emperor plows the fields himself. Then, you can sit on the viewing platform and watch the "Shu Ren Final". At this time, the emperor sacrificed to the god of agriculture, originally to call on the people to get up for spring ploughing. Later, after being deified by some people, the rise of the dragon on February 2 became a beautiful legend.

There has always been a saying among the people that "cut your hair and get old." It is said that getting a haircut on February 2 can bring good luck for a year. On this day, the barber shop will be very busy, because people have not had a haircut for more than a month. All the hairdressers, after a whole month's rest, arrived on February 2 nd and opened the door early. You don't have to see the guests, so they naturally flock to you. "On February 2nd, dragons look up, and children and adults have to shave their heads."

On February 2nd, everything we ate was related to dragons. Rice is called Zi Long, noodles are called Longxu, jiaozi is called Longya, wonton is called longan, spring cake is called Longlin, and meatloaf is called Lazy Dragon. Sauced meat must be eaten. The traditional custom of the Han nationality is to eat pig's head meat on February 2. In the past, people usually slaughtered pigs and sheep on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. The first day, the fifth day and the fifteenth day passed, and the meat was basically eaten up, leaving a pig head at last. On February 2nd, I took this "dragon head" as an offering and enjoyed it to my heart's content.

February 2 is also the day to pick up my daughter and ask her son-in-law, commonly known as "Daughter's Day" or "Baby's Day". According to the old custom in Beijing, daughters married in the first month are not allowed to look at the lanterns, so just after the first month, parents rushed to pick up their daughters. There is a saying: "February 2, pick up the baby, can not pick up tears."

February 2 is not only the birthday of the dragon, but also the birthday of the land god. In the old society, every household went to worship at the Earth Temple. It is not enough just to worship the land. Another custom in Beijing is to burn incense to the gods. On February 2nd, people put gold lettering on their foreheads and rode donkeys to burn incense at Yuan Jun Temple in Bi Xia, Zhuozhou, to express their good wishes and hope of being taken care of by the gods. It's called going to the temple to burn incense, but it's actually an outing. "Chronicle of Ji Li" records: "On February 2nd, Youth Day, people from Xianjun went out to have fun and scattered in the suburbs."

Folk food

spring pancake

Spring pancake is a kind of folk food in Beijing, a kind of thin baked flour cake, also called pancake. Every year in 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 ("On February 2nd, dragons look up"). There is an old saying in China. On this day, Beijingers also want to 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.

Rolling donkeys, Beijing snacks

A kind of bean flour cake, 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" to taste in February of the lunar calendar, so there are many vendors and pushers who manage this kind of food, among which the white food stall in Tianqiao market and the "rice cake tiger" (tiger takes the blessing) are the most famous.

Climatic solar terms

In fact, after February of the lunar calendar, the "rain" solar term will come, the phenomenon of little rain in winter will end, and the rainfall will gradually increase, which is originally the characteristic of the monsoon climate in North China.