MUZI MUZIChinese Matrix

Dragon Raises Its Head Festival

Second of the second month: the dragon lifts its head

Introduction

On the second of the second month the dragon raises its head: spring rain is coming, and farmers pray for a good year

The Dragon Raises Its Head Festival falls on the second day of the second lunar month, also called the Spring Dragon or Azure Dragon Festival, around the solar terms Rain Water and Awakening of Insects. Folk belief holds that the Dragon King who governs clouds and rain raises his head now, bringing more spring rain as insects stir, and farmers honoured the dragon to pray for timely rain. The name is recorded in the Yuan Xijin zhi for Beijing; the Ming Dijing jingwu lüe describes frying leftover New Year offering cakes and smoking the kang beds, 'smoking out the insects', and the Qing added lines of ash to 'lead the dragon back'. Today people get a 'dragon-head' haircut and eat dragon-whisker noodles and spring pancakes, and the saying goes 'on the second of the second month, the dragon raises its head'.

Timeline

Yuan dynasty to present
1360 · OriginThe Xijin zhi (late Yuan) records that in Yanjing (Beijing) the second of the second month was so named; the extant text reads 'long shan tou', a scribal error for 'dragon raises its head', making it an early record of the name.1635 · EvolutionThe Dijing jingwu lüe (1635) records that in Ming Beijing the day was called the Dragon Raising Its Head; leftover New Year offering cakes were fried and kang beds smoked, 'smoking out the insects', to lead the dragon so insects would not emerge.1750 · EvolutionIn the Qing, Pan Rongbi's Dijing suishi jisheng describes ash laid from the gate to the kitchen and round the water vat, 'leading the dragon back', and the Yanjing suishi ji records noodles and pancakes eaten on the day.
  1. 1360OriginThe Xijin zhi (late Yuan) records that in Yanjing (Beijing) the second of the second month was so named; the extant text reads 'long shan tou', a scribal error for 'dragon raises its head', making it an early record of the name.Literature › Gazetteer of Xijin
  2. 1635EvolutionThe Dijing jingwu lüe (1635) records that in Ming Beijing the day was called the Dragon Raising Its Head; leftover New Year offering cakes were fried and kang beds smoked, 'smoking out the insects', to lead the dragon so insects would not emerge.Literature › Sights and Scenes of the Imperial Capital
  3. 1750EvolutionIn the Qing, Pan Rongbi's Dijing suishi jisheng describes ash laid from the gate to the kitchen and round the water vat, 'leading the dragon back', and the Yanjing suishi ji records noodles and pancakes eaten on the day.Literature › Annual Customs and Festivals in Peking