Dragon Head-raising Day is celebrated on the second day of the second Chinese lunar month to show respect to Dragon King and wish good weather for a big harvest. It is considered the start of spring and farming.

After the cold winter, spring comes and animals are awake, but because of the winter, the weather is dry and farming needs water. The story goes that after this day, the Dragon King who controls clouds and rains would wake from his winter sleep and bring rainfall for the crops.

On that day, there are lots of traditional celebration activities. First, in the early morning when it’s still dark, families go to a river or a well with lanterns to get water and then carry it back home. Then they light candles, burn incense sticks (香柱) and offer a sacrifice (祭品). This ritual is named Yintianlong (lead the field dragon). People believe the actions can bring wealth and health to their homes.

The most well-known tradition on the day is having a haircut. It’s a sign of good luck and energy in the whole year. However, it is very bad luck to get a haircut during the first lunar month.

Eating “dragon” food is another important part of celebrations. Chinese are best at connecting certain food with luck so food eaten on this day also gets special names. Noodles which are long and thin are called “dragon beard (long xu).” Dumplings are called “dragon ears (long er).” Spring rolls are “dragon scales (long lin)”, and people call popcorn “dragon seeds (long zi)”.

Those celebration activities may be different in the south and the north, and some activities are remained to nowadays, while some are just kept in the past. But the wish for a good year ahead is the same despite the change of time or space.

【小题1】What do Chinese people think of the Dragon King?

A．It creates spring winds.	B．It controls the animals for farming.
C．It brings rains for lands.	D．It wakes after the first rain in spring.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “ritual” probably mean?

A．A set of actions.	B．A kind of sacrifices.
C．The name of a dragon.	D．The word of greetings.

【小题3】Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【小题4】What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To introduce the traditions of Dragon Head-raising Day.

B．To compare different traditions of the south and the north.

C．To explain the importance of “dragon” in Chinese culture.

D．To share experiences of celebrating Dragon Head-raising Day.