草龙求雨仪式，相传源自唐代的一场旱灾，传说“八仙”中的韩湘子是叶榭埝泾村人，为解家乡旱灾，召来东海“青龙”，普降大雨，使得叶榭盐铁塘两岸久旱逢甘霖。当地百姓为报韩湘子“吹箫召龙”的恩德，便将盐铁塘更名为“龙泉港”（唐贞元790年），沿用至今。

　　The ceremony of praying for rain with a straw-dragon originates from a big drought during the Tang Dynasty. Han Xiangzi, one of the Eight Immortals in the legendary story was born in Nianjing County in Yexie. In order to save the hometown from drought, Han used his flute to call the Black Dragon from the East Sea and asked him to give a powerful and timely rain to the land to benefit the people there. To repay Han’s benevolence, the local people changed their village name to“Dragon Spring Port”in 790 A.D., and this name has been kept until today.

　　以后每年乡民就用金黄色的稻草扎成四丈4节、牛头、虎口、鹿角、蛇身、鹰爪、凤尾的草龙，祈求风调雨顺。从此，草龙求雨成为叶榭民间的一种习俗，并影响到周边地区。在传承过程中，形成了草龙舞、滚灯舞、水族舞等民俗舞蹈。

　　Since then, every year the local villagers use the yellow rice straw to make a 4-zhang (about 13.2 meter tall) dragon. The dragon is bundled into four sections consisting of bull-head, tiger-mouth, deer-horn, snake-body, eagle-claws and phoenix-tail, which is used to pray for good weather for the crops. Making straw dragons to call for rain has become a custom in the Yexie area and has spread to the surrounding regions. During the process of inheritance, folk dances like the straw-dragon dance, rolling-lamp dance and water-clan dances have been formed.

　　该仪式逢农历五月十三、九月十三当地“关帝庙会”时举行，供奉“神箫（象征韩湘子）”和“青龙王”牌位，分为“祷告”、“行云”、“求雨”、“取水”、“降雨”、“滚龙”、“返宫”等7个程式，庄严、隆重，是村落群体性的祭祀活动。供品都是来自本地，如陈稻谷、麦、豆、浜瓜、鲤鱼等，表达当地农民朴实、强烈的感恩之情。在“降雨”仪式中，2名村姑将盆中之水不断泼向观众，象征“泼龙水”，观者纷纷争着让村姑泼水，是对村落集体生命绵延的祈愿。

　　The ceremony is carried out on the 13th day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar and also on the day of the Guan Gong Temple Fair, the 13th day of the ninth month. The memorial tablets of Divine Flute (symbolizing Han Xiangzi) and the Black Dragon King are enshrined, and the whole ceremony includes seven stages: beginning prayers, cloud formation, praying for the rain, receiving the water, casting a rainfall, rolling the dragon and the return of the dragon to its sea palace. The solemn and worshipping activities are attended by the whole village. The offerings are all local food, such as paddy, beans, melons and fish in order to express the local people’s simple but extreme gratefulness. During the ceremony, two country girls will constantly pour water on the audiences from their basins, modeling the dragon pouring out water. The villagers will yearn for the water to be poured on them to express their wish to extend the life of the collective village.

　　这种接近古代原生态的祭龙求雨仪式，因为有整合村落集体力量的文化功能，已传承了近千年，并孕育出富有特色的民间音乐、舞蹈。

　　With a close connection to its origins, the ceremony functions culturally to gather the collective power of the village, and it has passed down for nearly a thousand years the characteristic folk music and dance that has been nurtured by the ceremony.

　　1950年，该地为解除旱情举行了该仪式。后因庙会式微中断。近年有所恢复。

　　In 1950, the ceremony was held in this region to save people from drought. Later on, it came to a suspension as a result of the declining of the temple fair. But in recent years it has again been restarted.