英語故事：二月二龍擡頭的來歷傳說

According to the folk legend, the 2nd day of the second lunar Month is the very day for the dragon king who is in charge of clouds and rains to raise his head. After that day, there will be more and more rain, so that day is also called Spring Dragon Day. Most Chinese northern farmers believe that with the help of that day, all stores, big and small, will be full of grain. Every year when this day comes, those Chinese northern people will carry the lanterns, in the morning to fetch water from the wells and the rivers. They will light the candles, burn incense and play tribute to the dragon king. In the old times people called this "welcome the fields dragon." On that day, all the families will eat noodles or fried glutinous rice blocks, and pop corn to enjoy happiness.

A popular fairy tale in the north of China can tell the origin of the day. When Wu Zetian, the empress, in the Tang Dynasty came into power, the Heaven God was so angry that he ordered the dragon kings to stop raining for 3 years. Soon after this, the dragon king who was in charge of the heaven river heard the bitter cries from the folk, saw many people starve to death. He was afraid that there would be no life in no time. Then he went against the Heaven God's order and gave the folk a heavy rain. Because of this, the dragon king was thrown into the folk world by the Heaven God and pressed under a large mountain.

Then the folk hurried to look for gold beans everywhere in order to save him from the pressure. On the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month the next year, when people were drying the corn seeds in the sun, they thought of the corn seeds as gold beans because when they were roasted, they would pop in blossom like gold beans. So all the families began to pop corn and burn incense and put gold beans on desks. When the dragon king raised his head, he knew the folk were trying to save him, so he shouted to the God, "Gold beans are in blossom, so let me out." After the Heaven God saw all gold beans in blossom in all families, he had to give his order to ask the dragon king to return to the heaven palace and go on with his job of making clouds and rains for the folk. Since then, it has been the folk custom to eat pop corn on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month. In fact, after the 2nd lunar month, since there will be more and more rain which marks the end of little-rain winter. This is a clear characteristic of the monsoon climate in North China.

二月二龍擡頭，北方人很重視，關於龍擡頭很有很多傳說的故事，也有歷史相關的故事。這是一則歷史與傳說相結合的故事，相傳唐朝武則天登基後，玉帝大怒，下令龍王三年不準給人間降雨，然後龍王仁慈，不忍見百姓受苦，私自降雨，而遭受天帝懲罰，被貶下凡壓在大山之下。玉帝稱，除非金豆開花，否則龍王將永遠壓在大山之下。百姓感恩龍王的救命之恩，四處奔走找金豆，到了二月初二這天，忽見有人在曬金黃的玉米種子，那人心想，如果把玉米爆開花不就是金豆開花嗎?於是家家戶戶爆爆米花，並設香爐祭天地，龍王因此得救。

根據民間傳說，農曆二月初二是長官雲雨的龍王擡頭之日。過了龍擡頭這天，雨水充沛，所以這天被稱爲春龍界。中國北方的農民深信龍擡頭後雨水充足這事，到時糧倉無論大小都會裝滿糧食。每當春龍節到來，中國北方都會舞龍，大部分地區在這天早晨家家戶戶打着燈籠到井邊或河邊挑水。回到家裏便點燈、燒香、上供，理髮(有習俗正月理髮死舅舅)。舊時，人們把這種儀式叫做“引田龍”。這一天，家家戶戶還要吃麪條、炸油糕、爆玉米花(比作爲“挑龍頭”、“吃龍膽”、“金豆開花，龍王昇天，興雲佈雨，五穀豐登”)，以示吉慶。

北方慶春龍節還因爲另外一個傳說。相傳唐朝，武則天登位做了皇帝，玉帝大怒，命令龍王三年之內不能降雨。但龍王日日聽聞百姓哭泣，見無數百姓音飢餓而死，他擔心很快地球上就沒有生命了。於是他違背玉帝旨意，給老百姓降了一場大雨。玉帝得知後，將司掌天河的玉龍打下天宮，壓在一座大山下面。(山下還立了一塊碑，上面寫道：龍王降雨犯天規，當受人間千秋罪。要想重登靈霄閣，除非金豆開花時。)

人們爲了拯救龍王，到處尋找開花的金豆。到了第二年二月初二這一天，人們正在翻曬金黃的玉米種子，猛然想起，這玉米就象金豆，炒開了花，不就是金豆開花嗎?於是家家戶戶爆玉米花，並在院裏設案焚香，供上“開花的金豆”，專讓龍王和玉帝看見。龍王知道這是百姓在救它，就大聲向玉帝喊到：“金豆開花了，放我出去!”玉帝一看人間家家戶戶院裏金豆花開放，只好傳諭，詔龍王回到天庭，繼續給人間興雲佈雨。從此以後，民間形成了習慣，每到二月二這一天，人們就爆玉米花，也有炒豆的。