The second dragon raising its head in February is a traditional festival in China, "dragon" refers to the star of the sky and the dragon of the seven nights, and the dragon horn star will rise on the second day of February of the lunar calendar every year, which is the origin of the dragon's rise. The following is a well-recommended story of the origin of the second dragon in February, for reference only, welcome to read!
The story of the origin of the second dragon raising its head in February
Legend has it that there was a great drought one year, and there was no way to grow seeds in the arid fields. The common people took to the streets to pray for rain and ask the dragon god for rain. I've thought about any way to pray for blessings, but it doesn't rain a drop of rain. The common people have been complaining about it again and again, and they will definitely go hungry in the coming year. At this time, the Qinglong King, who guarded the Tianhe in the sky, learned about it, and saw that the people were suffering, and he couldn't bear it, so he took the initiative to turn the Tianhe River over and pour out half of the Tianhe water. Heavy rain fell from the sky and moistened the earth. The people cheered and thanked the dragon king for the rain and blessing. This year, the people had a bumper harvest of grain, and every family had food to eat, so they didn't have to worry about starvation.
When the Jade Emperor of Heaven learned of this, he was very angry and furious, blaming the Dragon King for being the master of the heavy rain from the sky. The Jade Emperor ordered Taishang Laojun to press the Green Dragon King under the sacred mountain and never raise his head until the golden beans bloomed.
The people who learned of this felt very sad and tried to find out what a golden bean was and how to make it bloom. I have been looking for a long time and there is no way. One day, a child in a common family put the dried corn kernels in a hot pot and heated them, as the temperature in the pot rose. The corn popped and turned into a popcorn. When the parents heard the noise, they asked the reason and learned that the child put the corn kernels in a hot pan and the corn kernels burst. His father slapped his thigh and exclaimed, isn't this the golden bean blossoming? The next day, every household went to the street to set up pots and covers to make corn. Shouting loudly to inform Heavenly Court that the Golden Bean had blossomed and asked for the release of the Green Dragon King.
After the Jade Emperor got it, he opened the clouds and looked at it, and sure enough, the corn was golden, and it burst like a flower. Therefore, it is the flowering of golden beans. The Jade Emperor summoned Taishang Laojun and said, As the Jade Emperor, I want to release the Qinglong King immediately and reinstate the official.
The sacred mountain that suppressed the Green Dragon King was removed, so the Green Dragon King raised his head and soared back to the heavenly court. It was the second day of the second month of February, so it was rumored that the second dragon raised its head in February.
The custom of raising the head of the dragon on the second day of February
Shrine gods. The second day of February is not only the Dragon Raising Festival but also the birthday of the Land Lord, and the "Land Festival" is also known as the "Sheri Festival". In ancient times, the Spring Society was the fifth day after the beginning of spring, and the Autumn Society was the fifth day after the beginning of autumn. The ancients believed that the earth was born of all things, and the land god was one of the widely worshiped gods. It is believed that the land lord is responsible for the growth of the grain and the peace of the place, and the people of many places worship the god of the land on the day of the shrine. In southern China, in order to give the land god "warm life", some places have the custom of holding a "land meeting": every family pools money to congratulate the birthday of the land god, burns incense and sacrifices to the land temple, beats gongs and drums, and sets off firecrackers.
Eat dragon food. On the second day of February, there is also a certain amount of attention to the diet, and the people in the north eat on this day in the name of the dragon. Eating spring cakes is called "eating dragon scales", eating noodles is called "eating dragon whiskers", eating wontons is "eating dragon eyes", eating dumplings is called "eating dragon ears", cooking noodles and wontons together is called "dragon nazhu", and eating green onion cakes is called "tearing dragon skin". In some places, there are also the customs of eating "dragon eye", "dragon whisker", "dragon tongue", "dragon ear", "dragon skin", "dragon child", "dragon egg", as well as eating spring cakes and eating pig's head meat. Everything is based on the symbolism and meaning related to the dragon. These are all entrusted with people's strong desire to pray for the blessing of the dragon.
Harvest dragon gas. In the morning, on the first day of the month, go out and take a deep breath towards the east, which is auspicious.
Shave the faucet. Refers to the second day of the second month of February, children's haircuts, called shaving "happy heads", borrowing the auspicious time of the dragon to raise its head, bless the healthy growth of children, and get ahead when they grow up; Adults get a haircut, say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, hoping to bring good luck and a smooth new year.
Lift the dragon boat. In ancient times, the dragon raising its head festival is the day of worship to the dragon god, every year on this day, people have to go to the dragon temple or waterside incense to worship the dragon god, pray for the dragon god to prosper the clouds and rain, and bless the five grains in the year. When the dragon raises its head, there will be a "dragon boat" activity in some parts of our country, asking the dragon to come out of the water, and praying for the best of the day.
Make ploughing cattle. "The dragon raises its head" is also a rural agricultural festival. The agricultural proverb says: "On the second day of February, the dragon raises its head, and everyone makes small households plough cattle." Spring rain is as expensive as oil. If the spring rain is abundant, it indicates a good harvest of the year.
Write with a pen. Legend has it that the third day of the second lunar month is the birthday of Wenchang, in the old days, let the child write, take the auspicious omen of the dragon raising his head, and enlighten the wisdom for the child to be dressed and point cinnabar, implying that the child's eyes are clear and the heart is clear, and I wish the child to grow up to be literate and literate. The opening ceremony is the first big gift in life, and it is a traditional Chinese form of enlightenment education for children to start literacy and practice.
Hikita Ryu. Whenever the Spring Dragon Festival comes, every household in some areas of our country will carry lanterns to the well or river to fetch water in the morning, and when they return home, they will light lamps, burn incense, and make offerings. In the old days, people called this ritual "Inita Dragon". There are many activities that lead the dragon and the insects, the most characteristic of which is the scattering of ashes. Scattering ash is very particular, the ash is more than the choice of plant ash, people from the door of the house to the grass ash sprinkled a dragon to the river, and then with the bran sprinkled a dragon to lead home, which means to send away the lazy (green) dragon, attract money (yellow) dragon, bless people and wealth;From the door of the street to the kitchen stove, and around the water tank, it is called "money dragon";Sprinkle the ashes of the plants and trees at the door, and block the door to ward off disaster;Sprinkle the grass ash at the foot of the wall, in the shape of a dragon and snake, in order to attract blessings and avoid insect pests. The practice of sprinkling ash outside the village wall is also popular in Fuxian County, Shaanxi, which is also a manifestation of Fulong's insect repellent.
Put the dragon lantern. In the Yellow River Delta and some areas along the river, there is also the custom of "putting dragon lanterns". Many people make small boats out of reeds or straw, put candles or small oil bowls dug out of radishes, and wait until the evening to light them in the river or bay to light the way for the dragon. It is used to entertain and at the same time convey a kind of good wishes.
Knock on the faucet. In some areas of the northeast, on the morning of February 2, a long pole was used to hit the beams of the house, which was called "knocking on the dragon's head". Wake up the dragon and bless the party with peace. Adults and children are still reading: "On the second day of February, the dragon raises its head, the big warehouse is full, and the small warehouse flows." In some places, a large circle is sprinkled with stove ash in the yard, and the grains are placed in the middle, which is called "hoarding" or "filling the warehouse", wishing the five grains a bumper harvest and the warehouse is full. Hitting the beam of the house is to hit the beam with a wooden stick or bamboo pole 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, and the purpose is the same as knocking on the beam.
Eat pork head. It is also said that pig's head meat is eaten on the second day of the second month of February. Since ancient times, the worship of the gods always used pigs, cattle and sheep three animals, which were later simplified to the heads of three animals, and the pig's head was one of them. Nowadays, there is a famous dish called "grilled pork face", which can be served on the table after more than ten hours of cooking after 12 steps such as material selection, cleaning, spray roasting, washing and soaking, and sauce making. There are three kinds of "grilled pig face", one is to eat it in its original flavor;The second is to eat it with a dipping sauce;The third is to roll pancakes to eat. Each way of eating has a different taste.
Fence grain hoarding. In the north of our country, it is widely spread that "on the second day of February, the dragon raises its head; The big warehouse is full, and the small warehouse flows". In the early morning of the second day of the second lunar month, villagers in many areas of the north get up early, and housewives take out a basket of ashes from under their stoves to shovel some ashes. The circle of the enclosure is large and small, less than three circles, more than five circles, and the single is not double. After enclosing the warehouse, the grain at home is reverently placed in the middle of the warehouse, and it is also intentionally scattered on the periphery of the warehouse to symbolize the harvest of the year.
Smoked insects. In ancient times, organisms in nature were divided into five categories: caterpillars, feather insects, mesozoa, scale insects, and humans. Caterpillars refer to hairy beasts, feather insects refer to birds, mesozos refer to crustaceans, and scale insects refer to scaly fish and winged insects. The dragon is the length of the scale insect, and when the dragon comes out, a hundred insects are hidden. The second day of the first month of February is before and after the sting, the insects germinate, the disease is easy to grow, and the insect pests are also the natural enemies of the crops, so people lead the dragon to the insects, hoping to borrow the dragon and the town of the insects, bless the safety of people and animals, and the harvest of grains. Entering the second month of the lunar calendar, the weather is getting warmer, all kinds of insects begin to move, some insects are harmful to human health, so on the second day of February, people have spread pancakes, burn incense, hoping to drive away poisonous insects with smoke.
February 2 taboo
1. If you marry your daughter, don't spend February 2 at your mother's house.
The reason why the second dragon can't go back to her parents' house on the day of February is mainly because in ancient times, after the little daughter-in-law got married, she couldn't live in her mother's house on the second day of February, and the mother-in-law family let the little daughter-in-law return to her mother-in-law's house as soon as possible. Later, if the little daughter-in-law has been living in her mother's house, the mother-in-law's family will take the little daughter-in-law home on the first day of February. According to the customs of the old society, the newly married daughter-in-law must serve her in-laws and her husband at her mother-in-law's house after the New Year, and after the sixteenth day of the first month, she can temporarily return to her mother's house to live, as a rest day, but can only live until the end of the first month, and must go home after the first month. Because after the second day of February, it is the spring ploughing of the people, and they still have to work in the fields.
2. Do not use needles and threads, do not use scissors.
In ancient China, the dragon was regarded as a sacred symbol by the ancients. Therefore, there are some taboos on the day of the "dragon title", so as not to hurt the dragon and affect the luck of the whole year. Women are forbidden to use needles and scissors on this day, because the dragon will look up at the world on this day, and using something with a needle and a sharp blade will stab the dragon's eye.
3. Don't say "jealous".
In the dialects of the Central Plains provinces of our country, because "jealousy" is regarded as the meaning of "jealousy", on the second day of February, because the festival itself is festive, so people were afraid that the careful eyes would affect the auspiciousness, so they called "taboo" "vinegar", and the use of taboo is the meaning of jealousy.
4. Do not push and grind.
On this day, it is forbidden to push and grind, so as not to press the faucet. Xinhe, Hebei and Tengxian, Shandong are afraid of grinding noodles on the same day, for fear of pressing the faucet. The Dongming area of Shandong Province had to clean the mill on the afternoon of the first day of February. I put up the top and bottom folding fan of the grinding and prohibit use. Because the locals believe that the stone mill is the head of the dragon, the dragon head festival has to lift the head of the dragon. Until now、Although the grinding surface does not use stone grinding anymore, but to this day。 All the noodle making machine workshops have to stop working, for fear of "grinding the faucet".
5. Shine on the beams of the house.
Before women get up, they first recite "On the second day of February, the dragon raises its head, and if the dragon does not raise its head, I will raise its head". After getting up, I have to shine a lantern on the beam of the house, and read "On the second day of February, according to the beam of the house, there is nowhere to hide the scorpion centipede".
6. Do not do laundry.
In some places, women stopped washing clothes for fear of hurting the dragon skin.