Longtaitou Festival
longtaitou festival traditional chinese 龍抬頭 simplified chinese 龙抬头 pinyin lóng táitóu conflated zhonghe festival beginning one day earlier simplified chinese 中和节 traditional chinese 中和節 traditional chinese festival held second day second month chinese calendar name mean dragon raising head dragon regarded deity charge rain important factor ancient agriculture festival sometimes simply called secondmonth second 二月二 short festival established yuan dynasty celebrated around time jingzhe one solar term name jingzhe 驚蟄 meaning awakening hibernated implying insect jing 驚 mean startling zhe 蟄 refers hibernated insect time hibernating insect begin wake beginning early spring often accompanied arrival first rain meaning weather getting warm longtaitou festival important worship ritual wishing good harvest coming month addition paying homage dragon king tu di gong also worshipped double second birthday another ancient practice celebrate longtaitou festival get rid insect pest home cooking food recognized insect repelling effect today longtaitou festival celebrated various way still identical practiced ancient time including eating food named dragon dragon scale pancake 龍鱗餅 kind spring pancake dragon teeth jiaozi dragon beard noodle longan congee word longan literally mean dragon eye traditional day people get haircut monthlong time without cutting hair january lunar new year woman child carry perfume bag filled powder ground fragrant herb good fortune though longer used insect repellent ancient time place also celebrated dragon dance another celebration longtaitou festival first day taihao 太昊 temple fair last third day third month lunar calendar fair celebration ancestral deity fuxi nüwa longtaitou festival mark beginning celebration ancient tradition practiced festival longer part modern celebration including woman practice sewing needle could puncture dragon eye plant ash spread outside house inside house around water jug symbolize inviting dragon provide enough rain good harvest part southern china considered birthday tudi gong 土地公誕辰 people used celebrate firecracker due worship dragon people eat food word dragon bring good luck good weather year round zhonghe festival official festival holiday tang dynasty celebrated day longtaitou festival first day second month chinese calendar continued observed qing dynasty first day second lunar month also considered birthday taoist sun god chunshe spring community day