The origin of dragon head festival
February 2nd, a traditional folk festival. 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, the Han people asked each other about knives and rulers, 100 grains of grain, melon and fruit seeds, welcomed the fruits of wealth, and picked vegetables, went for an outing, welcomed wealth and other activities. 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 quoted the discipline in Broad Spectrum:" Luoyang customs take February 2 as the Flower Lang Festival, which is also the vegetable picking festival. " After the Ming Dynasty, there were many customs about raising the dragon's head on February 2nd, such as scattering ashes to recruit dragons, helping dragons, smoking insects, avoiding scorpions, shaving the dragon's head and avoiding acupuncture longan, so it was called Dragon Raising Day. Qing Xianfeng's "Wuding County Records": ... February 2 is the Spring Dragon Festival, and the kitchen is as gray as a dragon and snake, and it is called Lucky Dragon. In addition, there are activities to preserve customs, such as rushing to work, trial farming, frying scorpion beans, wearing grass, offering sacrifices to the dragon king, respecting land and grain, marrying women to live in spring, and writing by boys. 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.
The Festival Customs of Dragon Head Festival
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.
Taboos related to Dragon Head Festival
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.