We say that spring rain is as precious as oil. But we’ve had more than a fair share of rain these past few weeks back in my hometown in central China. Guess oil is not that precious any more. Incessant rains, strong winds and occasional thunder，it felt like summer except the temperatures constantly fell below zero.

Many people found the thunder （which is just a natural phenomenon） alarming as it was still January in lunar calendar, and an old saying states that thunder in lunar January increases burial mounds, that is to say, thunder at this time of the year is a bad omen. It forebodes death, particularly for elder people. To expel this lurking danger, (if it really exists), adult children would buy dragon-shaped steamed buns for their parents. The dragon, roughly the length of an A4 paper, has two dates as its eyes and holds a boiled egg in its teeth.

As to why eating these buns is a solution, I asked some older people, but they fumbled for a credible explanation. I read on the Internet that it has something to do with the dragon king, the God of Rain in Chinese mythology.

The second of lunar February is supposed to be the day when the dragon “raises its head” according to folklore. It’s like when insects come out of hibernation in the spring. If there is thunder before this day, people would assume that the dragon king is in a mood as its work started earlier than it should be. So eating the dragon-shaped buns is humans’ way of showing reverence toward the king. The hope is to have good health and a long life. This kind of superstitions doesn’t hurt and is quite new to me. I laughed it off, but I have to say that learning about such a belief has been interesting.

Actually, the Spring Festival period is a time when superstitions are rampant.

I’ve received several reminders about hair-cutting since this morning from various apps on my phone as it happens to be the second of lunar February today. When the dragon raises its head, people go have their heads shaved as a gesture of welcoming the spring.

Back home my folks usually have their hair cut/done in the last few days leading up to the Spring Festival and they wait until today to go to the Barber’s. It’s another superstition that goes like this, having one’s hair cut in lunar January gets one’s uncle (from mother’s side) killed. It’s stupid and it’s the dying reason. People now are doing this mostly as a kind of rite for the occasion.

On the first of lunar January, the first day of a Chinese new year, one is not supposed to sweep the floor or empty the dustbin so as not to throw away fortune. Well I did both as my mom said that we don’t believe that in this family.

My grandfather, when he was around, always said that don’t pick up money, but firecrackers from the ground during Spring Festival. I never knew why and have never found even a coin.

Come to think about it, these are hardly everyday superstitions. Right this moment, I can’t think of any superstition that’s real everyday. Does star signs count? Because if it does, then we are seeing it every day.