Cut Your Hair Today and Get the Dragon’s Blessing
What is “Dragon Head-Raising” and what does it have to do with haircuts?
“龙抬头”，终于可以理发啦?
“On the second day of the second month, the Dragon raises its head (二月二，龙抬头 Èryuè èr, lóng táitóu),” goes a Chinese saying. This year, Eryue’er falls on March 4 in the Gregorian calendar, as it is the night when the Dragon constellation will rise from the eastern horizon.
In the traditional Chinese astrology, constellations are organized into a system known as the “Twenty-Eight Mansions (二十八星宿).” They are further grouped according to the “Four Symbols (四象)”: the Azure Dragon (青龙) of the East, the White Tiger (白虎) of the West, the Vermilion Bird (朱雀) of the South, and the Black Tortoise and Snake (玄武) of the North. On the night of Eryue’er, the seven mansions belonging to the Azure Dragon start to emerge in the east, gradually rising above the horizon, hence the traditional belief that the Dragon is raising its head.
According to the Annual Customs and Festivals in Peking (《燕京岁时记》), a book on the customs of old Beijing during the Qing dynasty (1616 – 1911), “On this day, those who eat pancakes must refer to the food as ‘dragon-scale pancakes,’ and those who eat noodles must refer to them as ‘dragon-beard noodles.’ One must not do needlework for fear of poking the Dragon’s eyes. (是日，食饼者谓之龙鳞饼，食面者谓之龙须面。闺中停止针线，恐伤龙目也。)”
Dragons were believed to control the rain and the wind. The ancient Chinese attributed the start of the spring rains to the mysterious power of the dragon, and the Azure Dragon became a symbol of spring.
The most well-known tradition on this day is the cutting of hair, as it is believed to bring you good fortune for the rest of the year. Today, millions of people nationwide will get their hair cut on what must be a great day for barbers. In addition, according to another traditional belief, people should refrain from getting haircuts during the first month after the Lunar New Year. As the folk saying goes, “If you cut your hair in the first lunar month, your maternal uncle will die (正月剃头死舅舅)”—meaning Eryue’er is one of the first days in the lunar year when you can visit the barbershop without fearing for your uncle’s life.
This may seem like a strange tradition, but it is, in fact, related to the Manchu conquest of China that led to the birth of of the Qing dynasty. When the Manchu consolidated their power, they ordered other ethnic groups under their rule to adopt Manchu hairstyles. The typical male hairstyle was the queue: a shaved forehead with a long braid at the back of the head. Anyone who disobeyed would be put to death: As the Prince Regent Dorgon decreed in 1645, shortly after the Qing conquest of Beijing, “Lose your hair or lose your head (留头不留发，留发不留头).”
But according to the traditions of Han Chinese, cutting one’s hair was unfilial behavior, as one’s body parts come from one’s parents, and one was not suppose to damage them. There were many rebellions against the hairstyle policy, though eventually they were all suppressed. What was left was an agreement among Han men to not cut their hair at least during the first lunar month. This was done in remembrance of the old custom, or 思旧 (sījiù, remember the past). Later, the phrase became corrupted into 死舅 (sǐjiù, uncle dies), leading to the superstition.
Though it’s rooted in a mispronunciation, many still believe that having a haircut in the first lunar month brings bad luck, while having a haircut on Eryue’er gives one a blessing from heaven. So give that ol’ barnet a trim today: It might just bring you good fortune.
Cover image by VCG
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Hair Razing: Why the wife of Emperor Qianlong cut her hair—and got herself banished from court
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