如果问"一年中哪一天北方的理发店生意最兴隆?"回答一定就是"二月二"。

       "二月二，龙抬头；大仓满，小仓流"，象征着春回大地，万物复苏。农历二月初二可以说是标志着整个传统的春节庆典活动结束的日子。它是从上古时期人们对土地的崇拜中产生、发展而来，在南、北地区形成了不同的节俗文化：南方为"社日"，北方为"龙抬头"节。

        在北方传统习俗中，整个春节期间都不能碰剪刀剪头发，否则这一年会很不吉利。因此整个正月里都没有修剪的头发,会在今天来修剪,理发店能不人多吗？据往年对这一天的统计,理发人数都是平常的数倍,而且一些传统的店面都会早开门晚关门,全天营业十几个小时。

        中国古代天文学家根据日月五星的运行轨迹把天空划分为28天宿，农历二月初二这一天,正是龙角星从东方升起，所以这一天被称为"龙抬头"。

        龙抬头这一天，大地复苏，阳气上升，我国大部分地区的平均气温稳定回升到零摄氏度以上，在泥土中冬眠的昆虫蛇兽将陆续醒来。传说龙神也会在这天苏醒，龙是和风化雨的主宰。所以旧时人们会在这天焚香祷告，祈求风调雨顺、五谷丰登。古代在北方一些地方，这一天早晨家家户户要打着灯笼到井边或河边挑水，回到家里要烧香上供，这叫"引田龙"。但也有的地方正相反，这一天忌担水，生怕带回龙卵或惊动青龙，把风调雨顺的好年景破坏了。

        二月二既然是个特别的日子，这一天在饮食上也就有很多讲究，例如：要"吃龙鳞",就是吃春饼；要"扶龙须",就是吃面条；吃米饭名曰"吃龙子"；要"吃龙眼",就是吃馄饨；要"吃龙耳",就是吃饺子。把一些日常的食物都赋予了与"龙"相关的名字，实际上是寄托了祈求龙王保佑一年风调雨顺、获得好收成的愿望。

        "二月二"虽然各地习俗有不同，但人们都是希望新的一年一切能够顺顺利利。

The Second Day of the Second Month in Lunar Calendar, "Dragon Raising Its Head" 

If you ask, "which day is the busiest day for barber shops in northern China?" The answer is, "the second day of the second month in Lunar Calendar."
"On the second day of the second month of Lunar Calendar, dragon raises its head. The big warehouse is full and the small warehouse overflows." It symbolizes that spring will return to the earth and all the things come back to life. The second day of the second month in lunar calendar symbolizes that the celebration of traditional Chinese spring festival come to the end. It was developed from a tradition of worshipping the earth. Different traditions were formed in the south and the north. People in the south call it Sheri, and people in the north call it "the festival of dragon raising its head".
According to the tradition in the north, one should not touch knives, scissors or cut his or her hair during the spring festival. Otherwise, he might have bad luck in the incoming year. Therefore, all people who haven't had a haircut in the lunar January will come for a haircut this day. How can barber shops not be full? According to previous statics, the number of customers in barber shops is several times more than usual. Some barber shops will open earlier and close later than usual. It will open more than 10 hours on this special day.
The Chinese astronomers divided the sky into 28 parts according the movement of the sun, the moon and the stars. On the second day of the second month of lunar calendar, the star of dragon horn will raise from the east. That's why it is called the day of "dragon raising its head."
On the day of dragon raising its head, the earth will come back to life and the yang atmosphere will rise. Most regions in China will come back to be above zero centigrade in temperature. All the hibernated snakes, insects and beasts and other animals will slowly wake up. According to a legend, the dragon will also wake up on this day. Dragon is the ruler of wind and rain. Therefore, in ancient times, people would burn incense and pray for a favorable weather for grains and a rich harvest. In some regions in the north, every household will go to pick up water from a well or a river with lanterns in the early morning. They will burn incense and pray after coming back home. It is called to bring the dragon home. In some places, it is forbidden to get water from a well or a river on this day. People were afraid that they might bring dragon eggs back home or disturb the dragon, which might destroy the prospect of a favorable weather in the incoming year.
The second day of the second month of lunar calendar is a special day. On this day, people have special names for different food. For example, to eat dragon squamas is to eat spring cakes, to eat dragon beard is to eat noodles. To eat rice is called to eat dragon eggs. To eat dragon eyes is to eat wonton. Differet kinds of daily food are given special names connected with dragon on this day. In fact, it contains good wishes of people to pray for a favorable weather next year.
Different places in China might have different customs of celebrating the second day of the second month in the lunar calendar. People all have the same wish that everything will go smoothly in the incoming year.
 
 

• barber [´bɑ:bə]   n.理发师   (初中英语单词)
• dragon [´drægən]   n.龙   (初中英语单词)
• tradition [trə´diʃən]   n.传统；惯例；传说   (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz]   ad.另外 conj.否则   (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:]   ad.&conj.因此；所以   (初中英语单词)
• previous [´pri:viəs]   a.先，前，以前的   (初中英语单词)
• movement [´mu:vmənt]   n.活动；运动；动作   (初中英语单词)
• atmosphere [´ætməsfiə]   n.大气；空气；气氛   (初中英语单词)
• favorable [´feivərəbəl]   a.赞成的；顺利的   (初中英语单词)
• harvest [´hɑ:vist]   n.&v.收获；收割   (初中英语单词)
• disturb [di´stə:b]   vt.扰乱；使不安；打乱   (初中英语单词)
• prospect [´prɔspekt, prəs´pekt]   n.景色；境界 v.勘察   (初中英语单词)
• calendar [´kælində]   n.日历；月历；历法   (高中英语单词)
• celebration [,seli´breiʃən]   n.庆祝(会)；庆典   (高中英语单词)
• festival [´festivəl]   n.节日；庆祝；欢庆   (高中英语单词)
• incense [´insens, in´sens]   n.香(气) vt.激怒   (高中英语单词)
• forbidden [fə´bidn]   forbid的过去分词   (高中英语单词)
• smoothly [´smu:ðli]   ad.光滑地；顺利地   (高中英语单词)
• warehouse [´weəhaus]   n.仓库 v.存入仓库   (英语四级单词)
• traditional [trə´diʃənəl]   a.传统的，习惯的   (英语四级单词)
• knives [naivz]   knife的复数   (英语四级单词)
• scissors [´sizəz]   n.剪刀，剪子   (英语四级单词)