Longtaitou, on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month, marks the spring dragon stars rising, with haircuts in the north and Earth God rites in the south.
Lunar date
2nd day of the 2nd month
Usual dates
Feb 22–Mar 21
Date and Origins
Longtaitou (龍抬頭), 'the dragon raises its head', falls on the second day of the second lunar month. The name comes from ancient astronomy. The seven eastern lunar mansions were together called the Azure Dragon, and the mansion Jiao represented its horn. In mid-spring this horn rises above the eastern horizon at dusk, as if the dragon were lifting its head. The date usually lands near the solar terms Rain Water and Awakening of Insects, when thunder returns and farmers prepare for spring planting.
Because dragons were believed to control rain, people prayed to them on this day for a good season. A folk legend tells of a jade dragon who disobeyed the Jade Emperor's order to withhold rain and was trapped under a mountain until 'golden beans blossom'. Villagers roasted corn and soybeans until they popped open, the 'blossoming golden beans', and the dragon was freed. It is only a legend, but it explains why northerners eat roasted beans on this day.
Customs
The best-known northern custom is the 'dragon head' haircut. Folk tradition discourages cutting hair during the first lunar month, so barbershops are crowded on the second day of the second month, when a trim is thought to bring good luck. Children often get their first haircut of the year. Farm families once trailed plant ash from the door to the water vat to 'lead the dragon home' along with the rain.
In Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong and Hong Kong, the same day is the birthday of Tudigong, the Earth God, a guardian of local peace and wealth. Taiwanese businesses hold toutya, the year's first offering to the Earth God followed by a staff meal, which pairs with weiya, the year-end banquet.
Festive Foods
In the north, food is renamed after the dragon: noodles become dragon whiskers, dumplings dragon ears, spring pancakes dragon scales, wontons dragon eyes, and rice dragon seeds. Roasted beans and popcorn recall the golden bean legend, and some areas of northern China eat braised pig's head. Southern offerings to the Earth God typically include three kinds of meat and sweet rice cakes such as red turtle cakes, which the family shares afterwards.
Regional Differences
The festival is strongest in northern China, in Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Beijing, where haircuts and dragon-whisker noodles remain popular and some places hold dragon dances. In Taiwan and southern Fujian the Earth God's birthday dominates, with busy temples, burning of joss paper and evening banquets. Villages in Hong Kong's New Territories and Macau also mark the Earth God's birthday, sometimes with banquets or Cantonese opera for the deity. Hokkien and Teochew communities in Singapore and Malaysia honour him as Tua Pek Kong. Japan, Korea and Vietnam have no direct equivalent; this is essentially a northern Chinese custom.
Taboos and Trivia
Some regions traditionally avoided needlework on this day, lest a needle pierce the dragon's eye, or avoided drawing well water so as not to disturb the Dragon King. One popular theory says the saying that a haircut in the first month brings misfortune to one's maternal uncle (sijiu) is a garbled form of 'remembering the old' (sijiu), a quiet protest against Qing hairstyle rules. Such explanations are folklore and remain unproven.
Dragon Raises Its Head (Longtaitou): dates by year
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