Fast forward to March 11, 2024, with the traditional Chinese festival "The Second Dragon Rises in February", which is deeply rooted in the ancient people's reverence for natural celestial phenomena. At the beginning of the mid-spring month, that is, on March 11, 2024, Beijing time, the "Dragon Horn Star", which symbolizes the head of the eastern dragon, will emerge on the eastern horizon, so it is known as "the dragon raises its head".
The core connotation of the festival "The Dragon Rises Up" originates from the observation of the seven stars of the dragon in the eastern sky. These seven houses are the horn, the horn, the heart, the tail, and the kei, like a lifelike dragon image leaping into the sky, in which the horn symbolizes the dragon's head, the Kang represents the neck, the Di Su symbolizes the chest, and the rest of the houses correspond to different parts of the dragon's body.
In winter, these seven Nakshatras are hidden below the horizon, but at the beginning of the second lunar month, at dusk, the Kakushu is the first to appear from the east, like a dragon's head raised, heralding the time of recovery. In addition, the "February Second Dragon Raising Its Head" is also known as the "Dragon Head Festival", which is said to have originated in the Fuxi period.
Fuxi attaches great importance to agriculture, and every February 2, the queen cooks and cooks, and the emperor ploughs the farmland, so as to show the importance of farming. Since then, the Yellow Emperor, Tang Yao, Yu Shun, Xia Yu and other successive kings have inherited and carried forward this tradition, and during the reign of King Wu of Zhou, it was promoted to a national policy, and a grand ceremony was held on the second day of February every year, so that hundreds of civil and military officials personally participated in farming, thus creating the historical origin of the Dragon Head Festival.
The second dragon raising its head in February 2024 has a special significance, and there is a folk proverb: "The dragon's head meets the wooden library, and the dragon laughs in the harvest year", which means that the dragon raises its head and falls in the year of the wooden dragon, indicating a good omen for a good harvest in the coming year.
Coincidentally, 2024 coincides with the year of Jiachen (Dragon), which is the year of the wooden dragon, and at the same time, this year's dragon raising date is earlier than the previous year, and the dragon raising time in 2023 is March 23, which is more than ten days later than this year, so it can also be called "dragon raising its head in advance", which is due to the fact that there was a leap February in the lunar calendar of the previous year, resulting in a relatively early lunar festival this year.
How can I see the "dragon raising its head"? First of all, look for the Big Dipper in the northeastern sky, and if you look in the direction of the handle of the Big Dipper, you will find a dazzling star, Arcturus. Then, as you continue to explore, you will see a bright star with a slightly blue-white hue, which is Naveica. To its left, there is also a fainter horn of the two. Identifying the first and second of the Horns, you will find the first of the Seven Nights of the Dragon, the Dragon's Head.
With the arrival of the second dragon in February, this festival not only contains the ancients' understanding of the changes in the stars, but also integrates the profound farming culture, so here are four things to prepare in advance to better celebrate the festival.
First, don't forget to "collect dragon gas". The mysterious-sounding "dragon qi" actually calls on us to go out to the east in the early morning of the second day of February, take a deep breath of fresh air, and supplement it with the movement of stretching our limbs, implying that we will absorb the full "dragon qi" and start the journey of good luck in the new year.
The ancients believed that this move would help to lift the spirit and rejuvenate the spirit, as the saying goes, "the second day of February to harvest the dragon's energy, win the good fortune of the whole year", which embodies the desire of people to collect "good fortune, wealth, and good luck", and look forward to these good fortunes accompanying the year, life is prosperous, and the career is smooth and accessible.
Second, it is important to remember to "shave the faucet". As early as the Yuan Dynasty, there was a record in the "Xijin Zhi": "February 2, the dragon raised its head", indicating that the Yuan Dynasty had a tradition of celebrating the dragon's head, and associated with related customs, among which the saying of "shaving the dragon's head on February 2" was widely circulated, implying that good luck was the head and the lucky stars were shining.
Children will be taken to the barber shop by their parents on this day to get a haircut, called "shaving their heads", which not only conforms to the law of spring growth, is conducive to the healthy growth of children's hair, but also carries the good expectations of parents for their children to thrive in the new year, excel in wisdom and stand out.
By cutting hair on this day, it expresses the determination to say goodbye to the past and welcome the new life, and looks forward to a smooth new year, a successful career, and family harmony, which is a kind of self-spur and yearning for a better future.
The third is not to ignore "eating dragon food". On the day of the second dragon raising its head in February, there are colorful "dragon eating" customs among people everywhere, aiming to pray for good luck and a good harvest. Here are a few typical dragon foods::
1.Spring cakes are known as "dragon scales", because they resemble dragon scales when they unfold, and the custom of eating spring cakes has been recorded in many ancient books, such as the Ming Dynasty's "Records of the Middle Moon": "On the second day of the first month of February, each family eats millet flour and jujube cakes, fried in oil, or white flour and thin stalls for pancakes, called 'smoked insects'."
2.Noodles are known as "dragon beard noodles", regardless of the thickness of the noodles, and the noodles enjoyed on February 2 are collectively called dragon beard noodles, especially in Shandong, Henan and other places, where people will carefully make silky smooth noodles like a dragon's beard.
3.Eating dumplings is called "eating dragon ears", and dumplings are used as a kind of pasta wrapped in filling, and the shape resembles ears, so it is called "dragon ears" on the day when the dragon raises its head. In ancient times, people believed that eating dumplings on this day could bring good luck and good luck, meaning hearing good news and accepting good luck.
4.Rice is known as "eating dragons", as a home-cooked staple food of Chinese, on the day when the dragon raises its head, rice is given the good name of "dragon". In some places, ingredients such as red dates and lotus seeds are added to the rice to symbolize a good harvest and good luck.
5.Wontons are known as "eating longan", which is similar in shape to "longan" and is eaten when the dragon raises its head, meaning to open its eyes to see the world and receive good luck and happiness.
Fourth, we must remember to "put the dragon lantern". Different from the release of Kong Ming lanterns, the custom of "releasing dragon lanterns" is mainly popular in the Yellow River Delta and areas along the river basin.
On the day when the dragon raises its head, people will make a small boat out of reeds or straw, put candles on the boat or place a small oil bowl carved from radish, and wait until the evening, light the boat and put it in the river or bay to illuminate the dragon's way, which is called "putting dragon lanterns".
There is a saying among the people that "the dragon lantern shines on the water, and the blessings are full", and the dragon lantern is not only an entertainment activity, but also carries the beautiful vision of people's blessings. The ancients believed that the dragon was a mascot, in charge of the wind and rain, and the second day of the second lunar month was regarded as the "dragon desire".
The footsteps of the second dragon raising its head in February are approaching, we must not only look up to the seven nights of the dragon, but also keep in mind the above four customs, and sincerely wish everyone all the best in the coming days, full of blessings and good health.