英语故事：二月二龙抬头的来历传说
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.
二月二龙抬头，北方人很重视，关于龙抬头很有很多传说的故事，也有历史相关的故事。这是一则历史与传说相结合的故事，相传唐朝
武则天登基后，玉帝大怒，下令龙王三年不准给人间降雨，然后龙王
仁慈，不忍见百姓受苦，私自降雨，而遭受天帝惩罚，被贬下凡压在
大山之下。玉帝称，除非金豆开花，否则龙王将永远压在大山之下。
百姓感恩龙王的救命之恩，四处奔走找金豆，到了二月初二这天，忽
见有人在晒金黄的玉米种子，那人心想，如果把玉米爆开花不就是金
豆开花吗?于是家家户户爆爆米花，并设香炉祭天地，龙王所以得救。
根据民间传说，农历二月初二是长官云雨的龙王抬头之日。过了
龙抬头这天，雨水充沛，所以这天被称为春龙界。中国北方的农民深
信龙抬头后雨水充足这事，到时粮仓无论大小都会装满粮食。每当春
龙节到来，中国北方都会舞龙，绝大部分地区在这天早晨家家户户打
着灯笼到井边或河边挑水。回到家里便点灯、烧香、上供，理发(有习
俗正月理发死舅舅)。旧时，人们把这种仪式叫做“引田龙”。这个天，家家户户还要吃面条、炸油糕、爆玉米花(比作为“挑龙头”、“吃龙胆”、“金豆开花，龙王升天，兴云布雨，五谷丰登”)，以示吉庆。
