The dragon is a great animal in Chinese culture. It brings the wind and rain. It is said that every year on the second day of the second lunar (阴历) month, the dragon wakes up from its winter sleep and raises its head. Because of this, the day is called "Dragon Heads-raising Day" (Longtaitou). This year, it falls on March 4th.
Old people believed that there would be more rain after Longtaitou. And rain is very important to farming. So Longtaitou was the start of spring and farming.
People have many ways to celebrate the festival. The most popular one is to have a haircut. Mary people believe that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to your uncles—mainly your mother's brothers. They hope getting a haircut on Longtaitou keeps them away from bad luck.
Among Chinese people's festival traditions, there is always a place for food. During the Longtaitou festival, people eat food named after dragons. Noodles are called dragon's beard (longxu). Dumplings are dragon's ears (long'er). And spring rolls(春卷) are dragon's skin (longlin).
