China can be called a cornucopia of celebrations that spread happiness, prosperity, a sense of unity and above all gives an opportunity to express gratitude to the forces of culture. Chinese New Year is the most awaited and celebrated festivities all across the world. The Chinese New Year is not only an occasion to commemorate a new beginning but also that time of the year which is induced with a sense of gaiety and merriment. The lion dance is a popular recreation for the Chinese during their New Year festivities. The Chinese Lion Dance has been both an unique and integral element of Chinese culture for over a thousand years. Wrapped up in various legends and folklores, the lion dance of China has some of the most fascinating stories related to its origin.
There are different myths about the origin of the lion dance but none of them have any real historical records. According to one of the legends many years ago there was a lion which appeared in a village and caused harm to the people and domestic animals. A Kung-Fu expert came to know of this and went into the forested mountain to fight with the lion. He fought with the lion on three occasions but was unable to win over it. So he trained some of the villagers in Kung-Fu with the intention to kill the lion. A few months later, they went up to the mountain again and killed the lion. The villagers, in order to rejoice this occasion of the victory over evil, followed the steps of those who fought with the lion and thus the much popular lion dance came into being. Another saying was that the King of China, the Ching of the Ching Dynasty had seen a lion dance in one of his dreams and he then ordered the guards of the palace to dance in accordance with what he had seen in his dreams after he woke up.
Besides the dragon dance, the lion dance is too a crowd pleaser in New Year’s Parades and other celebrations throughout the year. The Lion Dance also plays a significant part in the consecration of temples and other holy places, at business openings, planting and harvest times, business celebrations, and religious rites. In China, the lions are considered as a symbol for joy and happiness.
From the fourth day to the fifteenth of the New Year festival, lion dance groups tour from village to village in traditional China and excite all the spectators with their electrifying performance. However, the lion dances of Northern China and Southern China display a great difference in their appearance and the art of demonstration. The Northern style Lions have muzzles which make them resemble like dogs, and are deep orange and red in color. The Southern style Lions have flatter faces similar to lions, but are adorned with a horn and two antenna style whiskers.
The lion in the dance is enacted by two dancers. One of the dancers handles the head, made out of strong yet light materials like paper-mache and bamboo. The other dancer plays the body and the tail under a cloth that is fixed to the head. The lion is attended by three musicians, playing cymbals, large drum and a gong. A Little Buddha teases it with a fan or a big ball. The head dancer can shift the lion's eyes, mouth and ears for different expression of moods. The lion dance is a perfect blend of art, history and kung fu moves. Normally the dancers are kung fu practitioners. Every kind of move in the dance has a specific musical rhythm. The music played is in the sync with the moves of the lion: the drum follows the lion where as the cymbals and the gong follows the drum player. Thus flamboyantly vivid and wickedly energetic, the brilliant lion dance bears witness to the vibrant richness of Chinese heritage.
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