A good hair day: Chinese observe ancient tradition by getting first trim of Lunar New Year on day dragon lifts its head
Ancient Longtaitou festival is seen as a lucky date for a visit to the barber
Mainland Chinese packed their local barber shops and hairdressing salons over the weekend for a festival that is believed to be an auspicious time for people to get their first haircut of the Lunar New Year.
The Longtaitou Festival, which means “the dragon lifts its head”, falls on the second day of the second month in the lunar calendar.
This year it fell on Sunday, and it is seen as a harbinger of warmer weather.
Its roots lie in ancient times when the dragon – believed in Chinese mythology to be the king of all creatures and the ancestor of all humans – starts to awaken.
It was believed that the dragon brought much-needed rain to farmers when it lifted its head to the skies.