Jade Appreciation | Dragon Raising its Head

“The dragon is the leader of scaly creatures.

It can be dark or bright, small or large, short or long.

At the Spring Equinox one ascends to heaven, at the Autumnal Equinox one dives into the abyss. ”

——"Shuowen Jiezi"

It is a mythical creature in legend.

It has been in the hearts of the Chinese people for thousands of years.

The supreme symbol of power and auspiciousness.

Dragon Raising its Head, also known as Spring Ploughing Festival,

It is the belief in dragon gods and the celestial phenomena and stars.

and the product of the combination of farming culture,

In ancient astronomy,

"Dragon" refers to the seven stars of the Eastern Azure Dragon in the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

Every year, in the middle of spring (between Jingzhe and the Spring Equinox),

The first appearance of the star Jiao is called "Dragon Raising its Head".

It is the elephant of growth, and spring ploughing begins here.

Therefore, since ancient times, people have regarded the Dragon Raising its Head Day as

A day to pray for good weather, to ward off evil spirits and disasters, and to bring good luck and fortune .

People worship the dragon and celebrate to pray for the elimination of disasters, blessings and a good harvest.

In the hexagram of the Book of Changes, Qian Gua,

There is also an explanation of the movement of the Canglong stars throughout the year.

"In the first nine days, the dragon is hidden and does not use anything." In winter, all things are hidden.

The Azure Dragon is hidden below the northern horizon and is therefore useless.

"Nine two, see the dragon in the field" , mid-spring,

The dragon star rises, and the dragon virtue is prominent.

Therefore, "Xiang" says: "Seeing a dragon in the field means that virtue is spread everywhere."

"Nine three, the gentleman works hard all day long, and is vigilant at night, without fault",

In late spring, the weather is neither in the sky nor in the fields, so it is "dry".

"Nine four, or leaping in the abyss" , the first month of summer is the transition between spring and summer.

All of the seven stars of the Azure Dragon broke free from the shackles of the earth and rose into the night sky.

"Nine Five, the flying dragon in the sky"

The Dragon Star in midsummer flies in the south sky, so it is called "Flying Dragon".

It is the most auspicious line among all the lines in the Qian hexagram.

It means that something is at its peak.

"The ninth, the arrogant dragon will regret",

Midsummer is the transition between summer and autumn.

The Blue Dragon began to turn around and descend westward from its highest point.

Therefore it is called "Kanglong".

"Using nine, the group of dragons is leaderless", Jiqiu,

The blue dragon stars retreated from the northwest to the ground,

Seeing that the dragons are leaderless, Tiande cannot be the leader.

It is an auspicious sign.

Inheriting the long-standing belief in dragons,

There are also many manifestations in jade culture.

As one of the common themes of jade carving,

The jade dragon pendant is also a popular ornament among people.

It carries the most auspicious meaning.

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