bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Mimi Lau

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.
Some Chinese believe getting their cut on Longtaitou will bring good luck for the rest of the year. For similar reasons, many avoid getting their hair cut in the first month of the lunar calendar.
Beijing snowfall hailed as ‘auspicious’ … but it’s man-made
The Beijing News reported that customers started queuing outside one traditional barber shop in the capital at 5am.
The shop, named the Silian, usually opens at 9am but for several decades it has been opening two hours early on Longtaitou.

Such was the demand from customers this year that it issued 500 entry tokens for those queuing up outside and ordered an extra 1,500 towels and 1,000 hairdressing capes.
Meanwhile, a salon in Guiyang, Guizhou’s provincial capital, received three times the number of customers it usually receives, according to a report in Thepaper.cn.


Insiders’ guide to Manila, Philippine capital and cultural melting pot

What is Hmong New Year – and how is it celebrated in the modern day?

A primer on Attack on Titan: The Last Attack before you watch the Japanese anime movie

China Yiche ethnic minority, known for open relationships, earliest wearers of mini-shorts

Explainers: Culture

A good hair day: Chinese observe ancient tradition by getting first trim of Lunar New Year on day dragon lifts its head

A haircut on the day of the festival is thought to bring good luck. Photo: Beijing News

=== NO ARCHIVE IMAGE === ATNX4 LONGTAITOU20
(Mimi Lau) The hair-cutting trend in Beijing during the Longtaitou Festival. (http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2018/03/19/479527.html)

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