A man gets a haircut to mark the Longtaitou Festival in Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Sunday. (Photos: VCG)
The Longtaitou Festival, which means "dragon raises its head" in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese celebration held on the second day of the second lunar month every year.
Also known as Eryue’er Festival, it was celebrated on March 18 (Sunday) this year.
As a widely known saying goes, "Er yue er, long tai tou" – which means "On the second day of the second month, the dragon lifts his head" – the festival, which marks the beginning of spring and the farming season, is a reflection of the ancient agrarian Chinese culture.
Some of the old ways to celebrate the festival are no longer in practice, but others haven’t lost their relevance.
The most famous tradition on the day is to have a haircut.
Some people hold the belief that going to the barber when the "dragon raises its head" means getting rid of bad luck and having a good start to the New Year.
A child has his hair cut at a salon to mark the Longtaitou Festival in Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, on Sunday. (Photos: VCG)
A barber gives a child a crop at a salon to mark the Longtaitou Festival in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, on Sunday.
A barber gives a child a crop at a salon to mark the Longtaitou Festival in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, on Sunday.
A man has his hair cut at a barber shop to mark the Longtaitou Festival in Beijing on Sunday.
A child gets his hair cropped at a barber shop to mark the Longtaitou Festival in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, on Sunday.
