A Special Chinese festival

Name

China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day—Longtaitou is one of them.

Date of the festival

This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar(阴历). It stands for(代表)the start of spring and farming. In 2022，the day fell on March 4th.

Meaning of the festival

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the "descendants(传人)of the dragon". Therefore people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons.

Customs

On the day in ancient times people put ashes (灰)in the kitchen. This was to "lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon they could have a good harvest(收成)in autumn. Also people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example people eat "dragon whisker(细须)" noodles and dumplings called "dragon teeth".

Today many customs have faded away (消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.