Lion Dance

What is Chinese New Year without some lion prancing around? Just after noon today (13th day of the New Year), we had two lions prancing about in the main entrance of our office. The lion troupe is from the renowned Kun Seng Keng Lion Dance Association (5 times world champion). The interplay between the two lions on their own, as well as with the audience was very good. They managed to make people watching around laugh as well as teased some audience with some of their antics. They also threw oranges from their mouth for people to catch.

The lions subsequently climbed on some poles, and pranced around. It was actually quite windy outside, as we could see the billowing trees in response to the wind. Yet, the lions kept to their routine, and the wind blowing on the white manes was a beautiful sight to see. One spectacular moment was when one of the lions looked up and faced the wind, and sort of moved in slow motion as though enjoying the breeze. Now that was a special moment indeed! It reminded me of the Jet Li show (“Fearless”) when the farmers stopped and faced the oncoming breeze as a sign of welcome, savouring the moment. The lions also made some rounds to various departments, and "peeled" some oranges as well with special messages (in this case, "wong" = prosperity). This brings me to think about where lion dances come from.

Origins of the Lion Dance
(Source: http://www.thatnet.com/kungfu/liondance.html)

Every year Chinatown marks the beginning of Chinese New Year with many different festivities. The main attraction is the Lion Dance, a Chinese tradition for thousands of years. The Chinese consider the Lion as an animal symbolizing power, wisdom and good fortune.

A person who performs the dance usually is one who has studied Chinese Boxing/Kung Fu and is very proficient at it. Lion Dance is considered a mandatory part of classic Kung Fu. Those who practice Kung Fu are usually very good at the dance because the lion dance utilises the footwork, body movements, balance, and agility that is required in Kung Fu.

In general, there are two major types of Lions. The Northern Lion dances with an acrobat and utilises very light playful motions. While on the other hand the Southern Lion dances with a playful Buddha and utilizes more restrictive powerful motions. The Southern Lion also performs a variety of tricks as does the Northern Lion requiring an abundance of balance and agile footwork.

The Lion's head is made of paper mache and wood, elaborately painted and decorated with strings, fringes, tassels and bells. The head can weigh more than 40 pounds. Attached to the head of the Southern Lion with a red ribbon is a long piece of colorful material that represents his body under which the person portraying the body and tail must crouch. The Northern Lion body and tail is actually a uniform that both dancers wear and is usually bright yellow with an abundance of tassels.

Two types of Southern Lion's seen mostly are the old and the young Lion. The Old Lion is multicolored and has a long white beard. He usually serves as the trademark of an older, established school, like the Jow Ga Kung Fu Association. The young lion has black hair and a shorter black beard and is representative of a school that does not have such a standing in the community. The young lion is very aggressive and always wants to fight. Whenever he meets an old lion he tries to pick on him, but the old lion is more docile and does not fight.

The lion is accompanied by musical instruments such as a drum, large and small cymbals and gong. The drummer must be very skilled and must know which drum beat goes with each part of the dance such as when the lion is happy, sleepy, mad, scared or curious.

There are various methods of playing the lion dance. One can be called free style, in which the dancers improvise and make up the dance as they go. This is where the skill of the drummer plays an important part. This is the method used in the parade at New Year when the lion pays a visit to stores and homes. The visit, called the "Pai", brings good luck. Those who are visited may put out a Chan, which could be a piece of lettuce or a roll of money, or it could be a traditional puzzle such as filling a dish full water. When you come upon the particular puzzle, you must know how to solve it. For instance, if there is a dish of water with coins at the bottom, it is proper to take a certain number in order to fulfill the traditional action which brings good luck. You must know how to solve the puzzles correctly if you are to show the quality of your lion and school. During the old days in China, a school might test the quality of another school's Kung Fu by testing their lion. The Chan might be on top of a pole or building and you must figure out how to get it. If you didn't think you could, you would pass it up, but this meant that your skill was not good enough to meet the test.

The next method of dance is the set method. This set method tells the story of the origins of the lion. The lion is Chinese mythology, originated in Heaven, where it was very mischievous and created a great deal of trouble. The Jade Emperor became furious with the animal for being so bothersome. He cut off the lion's head and threw both the head and the body down to earth to rot. But the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin, seeing the poor lion, felt very sorry for it and decided to help. She sent an enchanted red ribbon, which can be seen today on the back of the lion's head, to tie it back on. The red ribbon also has power to frighten evil spirits, and for this reason the lion became especially powerful. Another part of the lion's power comes from a mirror that is located on his forehead. The mirror is there so that if any evil spirits confront him, they would see their own reflections and be frightened away.

After the Goddess of Mercy restored the lion, she offered to help the lion return to heaven. She referred him to a Buddha or monk who owned a type of grass called "Ling Chi", the only kind of grass that would restore the lion's strength. There was one catch, as the lion soon found out. The Buddha or monk kept all the grass to himself, for he too wanted to go to Heaven. So when the lion approached him for some, he refused. The lion, however, was determined to have some of the grass, he waited until the Buddha or monk went to sleep. Before the lion ate any of the grass, there was a ritual that he followed. First he bowed three times: one for Heaven, one for earth, and one for the people. He bows to each to get their blessings. When he is finished eating as much as he can, he feels drowsy, for the grass is strong, and he falls asleep. When he awakens, he realizes that he has retained his full strength, and thus his dream is fulfilled. Again he bows three times and with his newly found power, returns to his rightful place in Heaven.