Children from No.4 Kindergarten (幼儿园) in Guangping County, Hebei Province were excited to experience lots of activities to celebrate the traditional Chinese festival Longtaitou on Tuesday. They learned traditional ballads (民谣) from their teachers and gave simulated (模拟的) haircuts to their classmates, as well as performed a wonderful dragon dance.
The festival falls on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar every year, which refers to the start of spring and the farming season. Longtaitou literally (字面上) means “the dragon raises its head”, symbolizing that the legendary creature has woken from his winter sleep and that there will be spring rains.
“Through these activities, we hope the children can get a deeper understanding of the cultural meaning of traditional Chinese festivals,” said Jin Qingfen, a teacher from the kindergarten. “It will also help them increase their sense of national pride and belonging.”
In Zhaoxian County, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, thousands of people gathered to hold an activity called Longpaihui during which they showed respect for the dragon and prayed for health and good luck.
A tablet (牌) for a dragon was placed in a sedan (轿子) and carried by over ten young men along main streets in the county, and finally back to the temple of the dragon. A group of local actors followed the sedan and gave more than 30 forms of local performances, such as beating the drum and doing the yangko dance.
The most popular traditional of the festival is getting a haircut. People believe that a new hairdo brings good luck for the new year, showing the expectation of a new start. “There are eight hairdressers in my salon and as of 5 pm we have received around 100 customers, twice as much as usual,” said Liu Fujia, a manager of a hour salon in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.
44. How did children from No. 4 Kindergarten celebrate the Longtaitou Festival?
① By beating the drum. ② By having a haircut.
③ By playing a dragon dance. ④ By singing traditional ballads.
45. What does Lonhtaitou symbolize?
A.Animals grow well. | B.The spring rains are coming. |
C.There won’t be winter snow. | D.The Spring Festival is over. |
46. Why do people want to get a haircut on the Longtaitou Festival?
A.To become more handsome. | B.To show their honor to the old. |
C.To express a wish for good luck. | D.To miss their loved ones. |
47. What is the best title for the passage?
A.Getting a Popular Hairstyle | B.Enjoying Local Performances |
C.Celebrating the Lonhtaitou Festival | D.The History of the Longtaitou |