In the US, the great test of spring is Groundhog’s Day in February. Legend has it that if the groundhog comes out and sees his shadow, he’s scared back home and we get to face six more months of winter.

In China, they welcome spring with the Longtaitou Festival – the day the dragon raises his head. It falls on the second day of the second lunar month, wich is also often in February.

By the time the holiday came around, families were starting to prepare for a new year of farming and were starting to look for warm weather and good rains to produce strong harvests. So during the festival, familiesand towns would celebrate and perform events wakening the dragon from his slumber. The dragon would then return from his hibernation to offer warmth to the earth. Above in the heavens, the Dragon King would begin melting the snows into soft rains and thawing the ground for planting.

It looks like this year, the dragon has returned with great mercy as the grass and trees green up and the flowers start to bloom. Spring is definitely well under way!