"On the second of February, the dragon looked up, and thousands of households ploughed cattle." On March 4, the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, there is a folk saying that "on the second of February, the dragon rises".
Poster Maker: Fang Jinyang
Luo Shuwei, a historian and researcher at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, introduced that the "second of February" is between rain, stinging, and the spring equinox, when spring returns to the earth, everything recovers, fertilizer is transported for ploughing, and sowing will begin. Legend has it that the "dragon" in charge of the clouds and rain also woke up and rained like oil spring rain. "The Dragon Rises" represents the people's ardent expectations for the seasons in the agricultural era, looking forward to smooth wind and rain, abundant grain, and full warehouses.
"Dragon Head" originated from the observation and imagination of the ancients on astronomy. Since the Zhou Qin Dynasty, the ancients divided the dome-like starry sky into twenty-eight stars, according to the different shapes of the stars, with the seven stars as a group, and named after four animals, namely the Eastern Green Dragon, the Western White Tiger, the Southern Suzaku, and the Northern Xuanwu. The "Dragon Horn Star" (i.e. Horned Star and Horned Star) of the Seven Stars of the Green Dragon first appeared on the horizon when spring came, becoming a symbol of spring to the human world.
Chinese has long had the custom of "February 2nd". During the Tang Dynasty, it was necessary to "welcome the rich and noble" on this day and eat the "fruits of the rich and noble". The court of the Song Dynasty had to "arrange a royal banquet for picking vegetables", put on the birth dishes, flowers and flowers, guess their names, and take pleasure in rewards and punishments.
The connection of "February 2nd" and "Dragon Head" and became a folk festival began in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Luo Shuwei said: "The original intention of 'the dragon looking up' is to revive the insects before and after the sting of the festival and drive the dragon out. During the Ming Dynasty, on the second day of February, 'each household used a jujube cake and fried it in oil; or used noodles and thin noodles, spread as pancakes', used to 'attract dragons, insects do not come out'; you can also hold incense and wormwood all over the corners of the house to drive away snakes, insects and musty smells. In the Qing Dynasty, on this day, 'all the food and rice are named after the dragon', such as the dragon scale of the cake, the dragon seed of the rice, the dragon whiskers of the noodles, and the dragon's teeth. ”
"On the second of February, the dragon looked up, and the adults and children shaved their heads." In early February, there are many folk customs in the second continent, among which the most representative custom is haircuts, and this custom was formed in the Qing Dynasty. Luo Shuwei said that since ancient times, the Han people have always maintained the concept of "body hair, parents, dare not destroy", and have "tied their hair" all their lives. In the Qing Dynasty, men changed their "hair tied" to "braided hair", and the top hair in front of the forehead needed to be shaved, and the shaving industry has since arisen. "If you have money and no money, shave your head for the New Year", the shavers were busy until the eve of the Spring Festival, and they returned to their hometowns until the beginning of February of the following year. In order to spread the business and seek good fortune, he called this day's haircut "shaving the dragon's head".
To this day, many people still go to get a haircut on the second day of the first month of February, so that the face is synchronized with the spring, and the vigorous "spiritual head" is radiant, so that their lives and careers are vigorous and prosperous.
Producer: Hu Qinghai
Coordinator: Liu Xinhui, Liu Yuanxu
Reporter: Zhou Runjian
Jointly produced by Xinhua News Agency and Tianjin Branch
Produced by Seasonal Studio
Source: Xinhua News Agency