Why can't you get a haircut in the first month of the lunar year? It turns out that not getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year is related to your uncle.

Why can’t you cut your hair in the first month of the lunar year? What's the saying about cutting hair in the first month of the lunar year? Next, let’s learn about it together.

Why can't you get a haircut in the first month of the lunar year?

Folk taboos

You can’t cut your hair in the first month of the lunar calendar. The most widely circulated rumor comes from a folk taboo: “If you get a haircut in the first month of the lunar calendar, your uncle will die.” However, according to historians, this folk taboo is a misunderstanding of folk culture and has no scientific basis at all.

Taboo truth

The saying "getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will lead to uncle's death" originally came from the first year of Shunzhi, when the Qing army entered the country and forced the Han people to shave their heads and keep queues. However, the Han people, nostalgic for their homeland, made an agreement to show that they had not forgotten their old monarch, which became known as "missing the old times". Later, "missing uncle" was misinterpreted as "dead uncle", and as the rumor spread, the saying "getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will kill your uncle" came into being. The folk taboo of not cutting hair in the first month of the lunar calendar at that time was not a prediction that "shaving hair in the first month of the lunar calendar will cause the death of one's uncle", but a form of resistance to the Qing government by using "not cutting hair in the first month of the lunar calendar to think of the past" to curse the "hair-cutting order" forcibly promoted by the Qing government. So you can still cut your hair in the first month of the year.

Other sayings about not getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year

The first month is an auspicious month

Since ancient times, the first month of the year has been the largest month and is known as the auspicious month. In auspicious months, people will hold activities to worship heaven and thank God for sending the Spring Festival. It is unlucky to use your brain at the beginning of the first month of the year. This is also the reason why it is said that no construction should be started in the first month of the lunar year.

February Dragon Raises its Head

Another reason for not getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year is because “the dragon raises its head in the second month.” Because getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year is very bad for your health. Your head will become cold after a haircut, and most of the body's meridians are connected to the head. If the head is frozen, it is easy to get sick, so people are accustomed to getting a haircut on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, which also means that the whole year will be smooth.