How much do you know about the food customs for the "Dragon Raises Its Head" on the second day of the second lunar month?
Introduction: Today is the second day of the second lunar month, a time known as "Dragon Raises Its Head" in Chinese folklore. This tradition is popular all over the country. On this day, there are many customs, such as "supporting the dragon," "smoking insects to avoid scorpions," "getting a dragon head shave," and "avoiding pricking the dragon's eye." So, what are the food customs for "Dragon Raises Its Head"? What do people generally eat on this day?
Ordinary families eat noodles, spring pancakes, popped corn, and pig's head meat on this day. Different regions have different foods, but they are mostly related to the dragon. It's common to add the title "dragon" to the names of the foods, such as eating dumplings, which are called eating "dragon ears"; eating spring pancakes, which are called eating "dragon scales"; eating noodles, which are called eating "dragon whiskers"; eating rice, which is called eating "dragon sons"; and eating wontons, which are called eating "dragon eyes".
Eating Spring Pancakes
Eating spring pancakes, known as "eating dragon scales," is very vivid, as a spring pancake, larger than a palm, resembles a dragon scale. Spring pancakes are chewy and can be rolled up with many fillings. For example,酱肉 (braised pork), 肘子 (pork knuckle), 熏鸡 (smoked chicken), and 酱鸭 (braised duck) are cut into thin strips, along with several家常炒菜 (homestyle stir-fried dishes) such as shredded pork with chive sprouts, shredded pork with spinach, stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar, plain stir-fried vermicelli, and scrambled eggs. All of these are rolled into the spring pancake and eaten with finely chopped scallions and a sauce drizzled with sesame oil. It is truly fresh, fragrant, and refreshing. When eating spring pancakes, the whole family sits together, placing the freshly made pancakes in a steamer. They take them out as they eat, keeping them warm and creating a joyful and lively atmosphere.
Eating Popped Corn
There is a legend about eating popped corn on the second day of the second lunar month. It is said that after Wu Zetian became emperor, the Jade Emperor ordered that no rain should fall upon the human world for three years. However, the Jade Dragon, who controlled the celestial river, could not bear to see the people suffer from disaster and hunger, so he secretly sent a heavy rain to the earth. When the Jade Emperor found out, he cast the Jade Dragon down from the heavenly palace and trapped him under a great mountain. A stone tablet was also erected at the foot of the mountain, which read: "The Dragon King broke the heavenly rules by sending rain and shall be punished for a thousand autumns. To return to the high heavens, it can only happen when golden beans bloom." To save the Dragon King, people searched everywhere for blooming golden beans. On the second day of the second lunar month the following year, as people were sun-drying golden corn seeds, they suddenly realized that corn was like golden beans, and when popped, it was just like blooming golden beans. So, every household started popping corn and set up an altar in their courtyard to burn incense, offering the "blooming golden beans" so that the Dragon King and the Jade Emperor could see. The Dragon King knew that the people were trying to save him, so he shouted loudly to the Jade Emperor, "The golden beans are blooming, let me out!" When the Jade Emperor saw that every household in the human world had blooming golden beans in their courtyards, he had no choice but to issue a decree, summoning the Dragon King back to the celestial court to continue creating clouds and bringing rain to the human world. From then on, a custom was formed among the people: on the second day of the second lunar month, people would pop corn, and some would also fry soybeans.
Eating Pig's Head Meat
There is also a story behind eating pig's head meat on the second day of the second lunar month. Since ancient times, offerings to the gods always included the three sacrificial animals: pig, ox, and sheep. This was later simplified to just the heads of these three animals, and the pig's head was one of them. According to a story recorded in the "Chouchi Notes" from the Song Dynasty: After Wang Zhongling pacified Ba-Shu, he was extremely hungry. He broke into a small village temple and encountered a drunken monk. Wang Zhongling was furious and wanted to execute him, but the monk showed no fear. Wang Zhongling was puzzled and instead asked him for food. After a while, the monk presented a plate of "steamed pig's head" and wrote a poem for it: "Long mouth, short bristles, shallow fat, long I've eaten herbal sprouts in the mountains. Steamed with banana leaves, cooked with apricot sauce, red and fresh, worthy of a golden plate. Tender and soft, truly fit for jade chopsticks. Without bristles to compare, it should be tied with vine." As Wang Zhongling ate the steamed pig's head and listened to the witty and unique "pig head poem," he was overjoyed and thus appointed the monk as the "Purple Robe Master." It seems that pig's head is truly a delicacy, and also a symbol of turning danger into safety and achieving success. Today, there is a famous dish called "Pig's Face," which goes through twelve steps—such as ingredient selection, cleaning, roasting, soaking, and braising—and takes over ten hours of cooking to be served on the table. There are three ways to eat "Pig's Face": one is to eat it in its original flavor; the second is to dip it in sauce; and the third is to roll it in a thin pancake. Each method has a different taste. "Pig's Face" is rich but not greasy, with the meat easily separated from the bone, and it is glutinous and delicious. It also provides modern people with beauty and brain-boosting effects. Eating modern "Pig's Face" on the "second day of the second lunar month" and recalling the ancient culinary history is a perfect blend of contemporary and historical experience.
Eating Mustard Green Rice
Eating mustard green rice on the second day of the second lunar month is a widespread custom among the people of Wenzhou, with the saying that "eating mustard green rice will not cause scabies." In the past, the common people lived in poverty and had poor hygiene awareness. Coupled with a lack of medicine, many people suffered from skin diseases (such as scabies), which were easily contagious. Mustard greens contain a large amount of chlorophyll and vitamin C. Regularly eating vegetables rich in chlorophyll and vitamin C can improve one's immune system, enhance resistance, and be beneficial to the skin. Hence, the saying "eating mustard green rice will not cause scabies."
It is said that this custom also has an interesting legend. One day, the Qianlong Emperor, dressed as a commoner to inspect the people's lives, visited a farmer's home in southern Zhejiang. He found a young man named Zhang who was well-versed in poetry but could not afford to travel to the capital for the imperial examination due to his family's poverty, so he could only study diligently at home. Zhang was a warm and hospitable host and invited the Qianlong Emperor to a simple meal. Just as they were preparing to cook, Zhang discovered that there was not enough rice in the jar and no dishes. Zhang had a sudden idea. He told his wife to start the fire and went out to the vegetable garden to pick a handful of tender green mustard greens. He added some seasonings and cooked a pot of rice with mustard greens, which was green with white rice mixed in. The Qianlong Emperor was used to delicacies and seafood, and by noon, he was already very hungry. When he smelled the fragrant mustard green rice, his appetite greatly increased, and he ate it with great relish, praising it endlessly. He kept asking how this rice, green with white, was made. Zhang's wife replied, "This is called mustard green rice, and eating it will prevent scabies."
It turned out that this day was exactly the second day of the second lunar month. From then on, the custom of eating mustard green rice on this day was passed down.