The Lunar New 12 months is a honored vacation in lots of Asian cultures like Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, simply to call just a few. Though every nation has its personal assortment of distinctive customs and festivities, in terms of Lunar New 12 months, most individuals within the West consider the Chinese language New 12 months.
In China, the Lunar New 12 months is probably the most important vacation within the yearly calendar. Also called the Spring Pageant, Chinese language New 12 months marks the start of the annual lunisolar cycle. Commencing with the brand new moon and culminating two weeks later with the complete moon and Lantern Pageant, Chinese language New 12 months is an immensely jubilant time!
The Chinese language New 12 months interval is a time for households to assemble collectively in celebration and remembrance. It’s a time to pay respect to family members current and gone. Properties are fastidiously swept after which adorned with banners and purple lanterns. A particular feast with an assortment of tasty meals is ready, and there’s an change of fortunate purple envelopes. Nonetheless, probably the most illustrious a part of Chinese language New 12 months is the pageant of music, firecrackers, and the lion dance.
Listed here are 5 fascinating info about lion dancing that you just may not know:
1. The Historical past
One legend of lion dancing’s origin dates again 1500 years to the Tang dynasty. The parable tells of an emperor who had a dream one evening through which a wierd wanting animal saved his life. The following morning, the emperor described the dream to his ministers and one minister informed the emperor that the unusual animal resembled a creature from the West, a lion. The lion rapidly turned an emblem of fine luck, and is used at this time in every kind of distinctive events to usher in prosperity and auspicious fortune.
2. Development
As a result of lions aren’t native to China, the “lion” within the dance acquired traits of the Chinese language dragon and phoenix. This creates a novel wanting animal. The lion heads are handmade of bamboo and paper mache and will be painted in quite a lot of completely different colours. They are often adorned with both horsehair, rabbit, or sheep’s fur. Lion heads can weigh as much as 10 kilos and the matching tail will be as much as 20 toes lengthy!
3. Lion Dancing & Kung Fu
Lion dancing is just not solely an essential custom in Chinese language tradition, it has a powerful reference to kung fu coaching. Initially, lion dancing was solely carried out by the very best stage college students within the kung fu college. That’s as a result of a powerful basis and stable stances are wanted to carry out the troublesome and generally acrobatic feats. Choy Li Fut Kung Fu practitioners have been utilizing lion dancing to enhance their leg energy, flexibility, and stamina for the reason that fashion’s creation in 1836. Even at this time, lion dancing is among the finest types of “kung fu cross coaching.”
4. Lion Dancing Kinds
Lion dancing in China will be divided into Northern and Southern types. Moreover, Southern fashion lion dancing might be divided into Hoksan fashion and Foshan fashion. At White Dragon, we observe Foshan fashion lion dancing which is most frequently related to Southern kung fu methods. Foshan fashion lion dancing is thought for its use of conventional kung fu stances, highly effective explosive actions, expressive gestures, and energetic drumming.
5. The Fortunate Crimson Envelopes
Feeding the lion with a purple envelope throughout a efficiency brings good luck and prosperity for the upcoming 12 months. The envelope at all times incorporates a financial reward that’s given throughout holidays and particular events to advertise well being, wealth, and favorable fortune. In Cantonese the purple envelope known as “lai see” and in Mandarin it’s known as “hung bao.” Lion dance groups use the fortunate cash from the purple envelopes to help the maintenance of the lions since they’re at all times in want of restore.
6. Bonus Truth! Getting the Greens
It would shock most individuals to know that not solely is lion dancing steeped in ritual, its routines are sometimes ceremonial in nature. Some of the well-known of all of the lion dance routines is “getting the greens” or “choi chang.” On this customized, a head of lettuce containing a financial reward is hung excessive in a doorway or hooked up to the surface of a constructing. Because the lion cautiously approaches the lettuce, the dancers will oftentimes should carry out a troublesome athletic feat comparable to standing on the shoulders or leaping by the air to achieve the lettuce. This show of good stability, very good energy, and teamwork, is at all times the spotlight of the efficiency! After efficiently grabbing the lettuce, the lion consumes it, after which spits it out as an emblem of spreading good luck and prosperity to the advantage of everybody in attendance.
From its legendary origins to its martial arts connection, lion dancing is as standard at this time as ever earlier than. It continues to be a staple observe in a conventional kung fu college. As soon as reserved just for the very best stage practitioners, at this time it’s taught to any and all college students who present curiosity on this wonderful cultural artwork kind.
