What is a dragon mother?
For the elderly who are deeply influenced by the dragon mother culture, the Spring Festival has placed too many good wishes. Therefore, it has become a culture to worship the Dragon Mother Ancestral Temple in Yuecheng, Deqing, hoping to realize the New Year's wish. Especially on the fourth day of the first month, it is said that as long as you burn a wick of incense, you will get rich and prosperous that year.
Dragon Mother Temple in Yuecheng, Deqing, together with Chenjia Temple in Guangzhou and Foshan Temple, is called the "Three Treasures" of Lingnan ancient buildings. The Dragon Mother Ancestral Temple combines exquisite architectural art and enjoys the reputation of "the only ancient altar left". The first month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the Dragon Mother, and tourists from Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia will flock to win the first incense and pray for good luck in the new year. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the Dragon Mother Ancestral Temple will also hold a grand "Golden Seal Opening Ceremony". It is said that people who go to worship and pray on this day will get unexpected wealth, so many tourists come here every year, hoping that this year will bring wealth and good luck and increase happiness and longevity. In addition, the 22nd day of the first month is the day when the Dragon Mother opens the vault, which is also an important annual festival, symbolizing that the Dragon Mother will open a fortune and everything will be fine in the coming year. Therefore, the 22nd day of the first month of every year is also a sea of people, and tourists hope to have good luck in the coming year.
In addition to grabbing the first fragrance of "Dragon Mother opens the golden seal" and "Dragon Mother opens the treasury", there are many New Year folk customs in the Dragon Mother Ancestral Temple that are worth experiencing and feeling. It is said that visitors to the Dragon Mother Ancestral Temple should wash their hands and faces with holy water at the Wulong water spray before entering the temple to show their respect for the Dragon Mother, and then drink a bowl of "holy water" when they worship the Dragon Mother in Dongyutang in order to bring themselves good luck. In addition, the legend of "touching the dragon bed to give birth to a precious child" has been circulated in the local area for thousands of years, and local folk customs such as releasing carp, covering the golden seal of the dragon mother and wearing the "dragon mother sign" have been handed down.