China News Agency, Beijing, February 19th: Why is "Dragon Raising its Head" on the day of "February 2"?
——Interview with Xiao Fang, Director of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore, School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University
China News Agency reporter Ma Shuisha
In traditional Chinese culture, every year after the Spring Festival, there will be a special festival - the Dragon Head Festival on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar.
There is a folk saying that "on February 2, the dragon raises its head, and everyone uses small households to farm cattle". "February 2" is a traditional spring plowing festival and agricultural festival, and some customs related to dragons have been passed down to this day.
On this day, people usually go to cut their hair for the first time after the Spring Festival, commonly known as "shaving the dragon's head", in order to pray for a good omen in the beginning of the year and good luck throughout the year.
The food is also named after the part of the dragon. The noodles are called dragon beard noodles, the pancakes are called dragon scales, and the dumplings are called dragon teeth.
What is "dragon raises its head"?
And why is it on the day of "February 2"?
From natural celestial phenomena to folk festivals and customs, what are the characteristics and significance of "dragon raising its head"?
From the ancient ancestors to today's overseas Chinese around the world, why has people's love for dragons been passed down to this day?
Xiao Fang, director of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore at the School of Sociology of Beijing Normal University, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions" to interpret the cultural meaning behind daily folk customs.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: There is a folk saying in China that goes, "On February 2, when the dragon raises its head, big warehouses are full and small warehouses flow". How did "February 2" come about as a traditional festival? As the Spring Plowing Festival, how did the ancients celebrate this day?
Xiao Fang:
"February 2" as a festival is related to the characteristics of traditional Chinese society.
Ancient China was an agrarian society, and agriculture was the most important mode of production. People lived on the soil and paid special attention to land crops and crop cultivation.
After the beginning of spring, the time for farming is coming. People will pay special respect to the land in order to pray for a good harvest, which reflects the worship of the ancestors to the land.
On March 4, 2022, the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, villagers in Ping'an Village, Xiling Town, Changning City, Hunan Province danced dragons in the fields, praying for good weather and good harvests.
Photo by Zhou Xiuyuchun
In ancient times, there were She Days, especially the birthdays of the Spring She and the Land God, which happened to be at the beginning of the second month of the lunar calendar. People would go to the She Temple to offer sacrifices, drink and beat drums.
The Tang Dynasty set up the Zhonghe Festival, which was also set on the first day of February in order to hope for a good harvest.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, during this season, people would go outing in the spring and go out to pick up vegetables, which is called the "Picking Vegetables Festival".
In addition, people also "welcome wealth and honor" and eat "welcome wealth and honor fruit" on this day.
According to the existing historical data, "February 2" became a festival related to dragons, which is the result of later development and evolution.
Yuan man Xiong Mengxiang's "Analysis of Jinzhi" records the customs of Dadu in Yuan Dynasty. There is a saying that "on February 2, it is called the dragon raising its head". Straight into the house, men and women don't have to sweep the floor, and the dragon's eyes are frightened."
There are more relevant materials in the Ming Dynasty, such as "Miscellaneous Notes of the Wan Department", "People in Wan call February 2 the 'dragon raising its head', and the villagers use ashes to spread into the kitchen from the outside of the door, and wrap around the water tank, calling it 'leading the dragon back. '." Dragon, as a god in folk culture legends, can soar through the clouds and ride the fog, control water and spread rain, eliminate disasters and bring blessings. The respect and love for dragons contains the wish of the people to pray for a good harvest.
China News Agency reporter: How did the saying "the dragon raises its head" come about? Why is it on the second day of the second lunar month?
Xiao Fang:
In addition to the folk cultural connotation related to the dragon, the "dragon raising its head" originated from the ancient people's observation and imagination of astronomy.
Ancient ancestors determined the farming time by observing astronomical phenomena very early on, and "dragon raising its head" is one of the seasonal astronomical phenomena.
The ancients divided the astrology near the zodiac into twenty-eight groups, called twenty-eight constellations.
The twenty-eight mansions are divided into four groups according to the four directions of east, west, north, south, and form the "four elephants", namely, the Eastern Canglong, the Western White Tiger, the Southern Suzaku, and the Northern Xuanwu.
The seven constellations in the east are called Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Tail, and Kei. They form a dragon image. Among them, Jiaoxiu represents the dragon's horn, Kangsu represents the dragon's throat, Disu represents the dragon's claws, and Xinsu represents the dragon's throat. The heart of the dragon, Ojuku and Minjuku represent the tail of the dragon.
The cycle of appearance and disappearance of Canglong Qisu is consistent with the cycle of spring and autumn farming.
Around the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, when the spring plowing begins, Canglong Qisu begins to slowly rise above the eastern horizon, and the first thing to appear is the dragon’s head, which the ancients vividly called “dragon raising its head”.
This is the ancestors using astronomical guidance to guide farming activities. "Dragon raising its head" means that the farming season is coming. In order to prevent spring drought, people pray for rain by offering sacrifices to the "Dragon God".
On February 17, 2023, in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, farmers carried out spring plowing.
Photo by Hu Panxue
In astronomy, the Gregorian calendar date of "Dragon Raises its Head" is relatively fixed. As for why its lunar calendar date falls on the second day of February, I personally think it may have something to do with the ancient people's habit of choosing festival time, such as the first day of the first lunar month and the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. The seventh day of July and the ninth day of September have been important traditional festivals in China since ancient times.
China News Agency reporter: What are the customs related to dragons on the second day of the second lunar month? What kind of traditional Chinese cultural characteristics does the evolution of festivals reflect?
Xiao Fang:
In addition to customs such as land sacrifices on the Spring Society Day, there are also many festivals related to "Dragon Raises its Head" on "February 2", such as "leading the dragon".
As the saying goes, "on the second day of February, when the dragon raises its head, scorpions and centipedes show their heads." On the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, around the time of the Awakening of Insects, all insects begin to wake up. In order to resist insect pests, people will lead dragons to expel poisonous insects.
In terms of food customs, most of the food on the day is named after the part of the dragon. The noodles are called dragon beard noodles, the pancakes are called dragon scales, and the dumplings are called dragon teeth.
After the Ming Dynasty, these customs have become more common, and people mainly regard it as a festival for praying for rain and repelling insects.
In 2006, Fanzhuang Dragon Tablet Fair in Zhaoxian County was included in the first batch of provincial-level intangible cultural heritage list in Hebei Province. The local area will hold grand dragon sacrifice activities every this festival, including welcoming dragon tablets, offering dragon tablets, and sending dragon tablets. It is a good wish for people to avoid disasters and pray for blessings.
The Dragon Head-raising Festival continues to this day and has been endowed with new modern significance.
From a festival in the traditional agricultural sense to a public festival today, the image of the dragon has changed from an early folk belief to a current national cultural symbol. The Dragon Head Festival is not only praying for rain and repelling insects, but also represents the spirit of the current people. Looking forward to opening a new chapter in the new year.
Children in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province experience "Dragon Dance".
Photo by Chen Haiwei
China News Agency reporter: From the ancient ancestors to today's overseas Chinese around the world, people's love for dragons has been passed down to this day. How do you view the inheritance of dragon culture?
Xiao Fang:
In ancient folk, the dragon was an auspicious thing and the master of harmony, weather and rain. Later, it evolved into a symbol of emperors in court culture.
In modern times, based on the special status and beautiful meaning of the dragon in the long history of the Chinese nation, the dragon not only continues to exist as a folk expression, but has also been sublimated into a national symbol and a symbol of identity.
In the long history, the connotation of dragon has been changed and inherited. People's love and awe of dragon have always existed, so that dragon culture has enduring vitality and penetrated into various fields of Chinese society and culture. Overseas Chinese still frequently use idioms or allusions with the word "dragon" to describe beautiful things in life or to express blessings, such as dragons leaping and tigers leaping, the spirit of dragons and horses, etc. Dragon dance performances are also very popular overseas.
In the New Year parade in New York, a giant dragon dances to welcome the spring.
Photo by Zhao Haiyan
Today, dragon culture is not only a unique cultural accumulation, but also a manifestation of the spiritual vitality of a nation. It has positive significance for the development of modern society, strengthening national identity, promoting national culture, and uniting overseas Chinese at home and abroad.
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Respondent profile:
Xiao Fang, director, professor and doctoral supervisor of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore, School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University.
Main research: age etiquette, life etiquette, historical folklore and social and cultural history.
Concurrently serves as a member of the 8th Disciplinary Appraisal Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, a member of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Expert Database, a member of the National Cultural and Art Resources Standardization Technical Committee, a member of the 3rd National Grassroots Political Power Construction and Community Governance Expert Committee of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and a vice-chairman of the International Asia Folklore Society Director, Director of Chinese Festival Culture Research Center of Folk Literature and Artists Association.
Chief expert of major projects of National Social Science Fund.
He has published more than ten books and more than 100 academic papers. He has won many government and industry awards such as the special prize of Beijing Philosophy and Social Sciences and the first prize of Humanities and Social Sciences in National Universities.