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 (阴历的) 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 14th.
Old people believed that after Longtaitou, there would be more rain. 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. Many 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 (在……之中) Chinese people's festival traditions, there is always a place for food. During the Longtaitou festival, people like to 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).
