Lao Zhang got up early at three Thursday and traveled for more than two hours from the suburban Beijing to the downtown, hoping to be the first at a shop in Wangfujing area for the special day.

But he was still shocked to find the unexpected long queue before him.

The sun is yet to rise, dozens of customers have already lined up outside the shop, not to buy the newest edge-cutting electronic device, but just to get a chance for a haircut on this once-in-a-year day in China's lunar calendar.

When the the Silian Barbers finally opened for business, the crowds swarmed in before the queue gets longer.

Thursday marked the second day of the second month in the Chinese calendar, an important day many Chinese choose to have their hair cut as the first rainfall in the spring is around.

As ancient Chinese believed that the dragon was in charge of all the rainfalls, it was also considered the dragon would awaken from hibernation and rise up its head to summon water from the sky on this day.

According to customs in parts of China, particularly in the north, getting haircut when the dragon doing its magic would bring good luck for the year and it's a taboo for a haircut in the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar

That's why Beijingers, like people in many other Chinese cities, flooded barber's shops on this day, waiting in lines for hours to get their first haircut for the new year.

"We expect there will be more than 500 customers today," said Wu Xiumin, head of Silian. The shop opens two hours earlier and close after 9 pm. on the day every year due to surging customer number.

On average, 30 percent more customers are expected for barber shops across the city.

"Twenty barbers already started working. We also have five more for shifting," said Wu.

To make the lines shorter, most barber shops would charge more on the "haircut day", including Silian where a simple haircut will cost least 60 yuan (9.2 U.S. dollars), while normally the price is 30 yuan.

A one-hundred-day old baby in his father's arms became the youngest customer. "It's not about the luck," said the father, "just letting my baby have this experience."

Like many other Chinese rites, the "haircut day" used to be connected with specific food. Most of them faded as getting food is no longer a question for most Chinese. Young people, though, seem more eager to keep this tradition alive.

(Xinhua)