Rituals
Temple Rituals
As dragons were seen as the controllers of the rain, many temple rituals would involve trading offerings in exchange for a successful harvest. Many people's livelihoods depended on their crops receiving enough rain every year, so they would continually pray to the dragons to provide the water they needed. Emergency rites would also be performed in the case of an extreme imbalance in water, such as during a drought or a flood. Usually, these offerings would be given to the Dragon-King of the nearest river, or whichever dragon was believed to have control over the village's farmland, rather than the dragons of the overarching mythology (Zhao, 1989).
Royal Connections
As the role of the Chinese Emperor was heavily intertwined with the concept of dragons, dragons were incorporated into many aspects of the royal life. Many emperors would claim to have dragon blood from their ancestors, but even the ones who didn't would still be associated with dragons in some way. For example, all government official ranks would be designated by a specific animal stitched onto a square on their official robes. Only the Emperor, his heirs, and the prime minister were allowed to wear a dragon on their square. Additionally, the Emperor was considered to be "The True Dragon", with everything that he touched and owned being referred to with the word dragon in
the title (Hayes, 1923).
Celebrations
One specific celebratory ritual that still continues on today (though in a different context) is the dragon dance. This is where performers would hold a large puppet dragon on sticks and move around, making the puppet appear as though it is dancing in midair. Though most dances follow the same pattern, there are multiple variations between regions and other countries. Initially, the dragon dance was meant to be performed during a drought, where the villagers would appeal for more rain to come. Today, the dragon dance is performed at Chinese New Year celebrations, as a demonstration of pride and courage (Cultural China, 2014).
Another famous festival that is still continued today is the Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Though this festival is Chinese in origin, variations are also performed in Vietnam (Gallop, 2017). During this event, teams of rowers race boats with dragon heads mounted at their front, mimicking the boats that were said to have been used to look for the body of a beloved poet/scholar named Chu Yuan, who committed suicide by drowning. This festival is also meant to serve as a cleansing ritual, to protect homes from "poisonous spirits" and the upcoming summer heat (Taiwan Today, 1967).
