Culture: "February, The Second Dragon Rises To "

According to Professor of Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, this kind of folk custom is related to festivals. The first half of February was "waking up". Many animals, such as frogs, snakes, worms, and so on, enter hibernation in the winter. By the time of the Lunar New Year February, when the weather was getting warmer, some insects ended up hibernating and began to move out. It seemed that they were awakened from their sleep by the spring thunder or the spring thunder of their ears.

The professor also said that the legendary dragon was conceived on the basis of our ancestors on snakes, earthworms, and so on, so the people called the snake "Little Dragon". In February, around two, snakes and earthworms ended. hibernation And start activities. The folk believe that dragon is the symbol of the emperor, the object of auspicious things, and the master of the wind and rain. "Two February" is the day when the Dragon wants to ascend to heaven and begin to move. Therefore, it says "February two, the Dragon rises."

Why is it not "February" or "February three"? Folk experts explain that this is related to our folklore.

Folklore experts say that in ancient China, especially before Qin and Han Dynasties, "heavy days" such as January, February, two and March three were considered to be the days of heaven, earth, and heaven. Therefore, in such a day, people need to do more prayers, sacrifices or commemorative activities in order to get happiness, An Kang and auspiciousness.

As the saying goes, "the dragon does not rise, the sky does not rain", the dragon is the auspicious thing, and is the master of weathering rain. On the February of the two lunar month, people pray for the dragon to rise up and make clouds to rain and moisten everything. It is known as the "two shaving tap in February". Chinese people generally believe that shaving heads on this day will make people lucky and lucky. Therefore, the proverb says, "two shaving heads in February will have a mental head all year." On the two day of February, every family barber shop is full of customers and business is booming.

In addition, there is a popular saying about "dead uncle in the first month of the first month" in China, so many people do not go to the barber shop for a month after finishing the month of the twelfth lunar month, until the "two of February" is lifted. However, this taboo has gradually weakened in recent years.

In February, two was the day when dragons ascended to the sky, while Chinese people used totem of dragon as the totem. This day, "shaving tap" reflects the good wishes that people pray for the Dragon blessing. In February, two, there were shaving, sacrificing, respecting Wenchang gods, eating noodles, fried cakes, popcorn and eating pig heads. Eat spring cake Eat the stew, eat scorpion beans and other customs. This day also has a certain fastidious diet, because people believe "dragon Wei big hair", so this day's diet mostly takes the dragon as the name. Eating the name of the spring cake is "eating dragon scales", eating noodles called "dragon beard", eating rice is "eating dragon seeds", eating wonton as "eating longan", and eating dumplings is called "eating dragon ear". These customs are entrusted with the strong desire of people to bless the dragon, to protect the wind and rain, and to make a good harvest.

In some areas of China, spring Dragon Festival is used to draw a dragon on the ground with stove smoke, commonly known as the introduction of Qianlong. There are two purposes for vulgar letters: first, to invite the dragon to come back, the clouds to rain, to pray for a bumper harvest of agriculture, and two for the dragon. The God of hundred insects When the Dragon comes, the hundred insects will hide, which is beneficial to human health and crop growth. In Nantong, Jiangsu, folk flour is used to make longevity peach and livestock. After being steamed, they are planted on bamboo sticks. In the evening, they are planted in the field. They think it is a food for the gods of insects and ancestor worship, pray for their ancestors to drive out insect pests, and hope that the God of hundred pests will not harm crops.

On that day, the names of foods were added to the names of "dragon". Eat dumplings, eat "dragon ears", eat spring cakes, eat "dragon scales", eat noodles, eat "dragon beard", eat rice, eat "dragon seeds", eat wonton, eat "longan" and so on.

Women can't do needlework on this day, because the dragon is looking up and watching the world on this day, and the needle will stab the eyes of the dragon. Before the women get up, they first read "two in February, the Dragon rises, and the dragon does not rise." After getting up, you still need to take a lantern as the beam, and read it as you read it on February. "Two in February, there is nowhere to hide." In some places, women stop washing clothes and are afraid of hurting dragon skin.

In the early February, three was the birthday of Wenchang (the God of power). The Japanese people worshipped Wenchang for the imperial examination. In the old custom, children began to formally study in the two day of February. In the past, the reader had to perform four ceremonies, that is, the opening ceremony, the advanced ceremony, the Thanksgiving ceremony and the number one courtesy. Writing is the beginning of writing. The ceremonies mainly include the worship of Confucius, the most basic principle of teaching life, and the contents of the four treasures of the study.