This is one of the oldest and most fascinating Chinese traditions. How has it happen that in the country where lions are not native animals they became such an important part of the local tradition? What’s its meaning? See the enchanting dance for yourself (a film attached).
Lion Dance is a traditional kind of dance (dating back to 3rd century AD) performed by two dancers disguised as so-called ‘lion’ - although by the looks of it - you wouldn’t be able to recognize it as such. That’s because lions aren’t native to China. They were introduced to the country by Persian rulers who send them as gifts. Doing so, they hoped to get rights for trading via the famous Silk Road. Apparently emperor took so much liking to the exotic creature, that it became source of many unbelievable stories. Since only a few had actually seen the real thing, its image became more and more bizarre with each story. That’s how current costumes came to life. The only thing that they have in common with the actual lion is possession of four legs and a big head. That’s basically where the similarities between the two end.
Well, that explains the looks, but not the popularity of the dance. Its origins we should seek in a legend about Kuan Yin’s compassion. According to this myth - lion was a creature of heavens. It was as mystical as it was playful. Apparently one day it played one trick too many on the King of Heavens and ended up having its legs (or head – depending on the version) chopped of by the pissed emperor. The Goddess of mercy (Kuan Yin) took pity on the lion (women always have soft spot when it comes to animals). She ‘stitched it’ together adding some additional parts from other animals:
During Chinese New Year celebration the Lion Dance is associated with a custom of "cai qing" (採青), literally meaning "plucking the greens". The lion approaches the ‘greens’ (usually lettuce) like a curious cat, and ‘eats’ it, only to ‘spit it out’ in a moment. Now you probably think why in the world anyone would try to feed a lion vegetables. It’s not a rabbit for havens sake. Well... it’s a mystical animal and apparently follows mysterious rules. In Chinese cǎi (採, pluck) sounds similar to cài (菜, meaning vegetable) and cái (财, meaning fortune). In a symbolic way the lion is appeased by the offering (which has also more materialistic meaning – there is a red envelope containing money attached to the lettuce) and later spreads good fortune and prosperity to the household (by spitting the greens).
Well, that explains the looks, but not the popularity of the dance. Its origins we should seek in a legend about Kuan Yin’s compassion. According to this myth - lion was a creature of heavens. It was as mystical as it was playful. Apparently one day it played one trick too many on the King of Heavens and ended up having its legs (or head – depending on the version) chopped of by the pissed emperor. The Goddess of mercy (Kuan Yin) took pity on the lion (women always have soft spot when it comes to animals). She ‘stitched it’ together adding some additional parts from other animals:
- The horn - shaped like a bird (from the phoenix). It symbolizes life and regeneration.
- The ears and the tail from ch’i-lin (pronounced Kay-Lun - Chinese unicorn - it represents wisdom and good luck).
- The spine represents a snake (symbol of charm and wealth).
- The back hump of the head represents the tortoise, (symbol of longevity).
- The forehead and the beard are from the dragon (strength and leadership).
During Chinese New Year celebration the Lion Dance is associated with a custom of "cai qing" (採青), literally meaning "plucking the greens". The lion approaches the ‘greens’ (usually lettuce) like a curious cat, and ‘eats’ it, only to ‘spit it out’ in a moment. Now you probably think why in the world anyone would try to feed a lion vegetables. It’s not a rabbit for havens sake. Well... it’s a mystical animal and apparently follows mysterious rules. In Chinese cǎi (採, pluck) sounds similar to cài (菜, meaning vegetable) and cái (财, meaning fortune). In a symbolic way the lion is appeased by the offering (which has also more materialistic meaning – there is a red envelope containing money attached to the lettuce) and later spreads good fortune and prosperity to the household (by spitting the greens).
The dance itself looks as if a kitten was playing to the tune of drums, cymbals and gongs. It’s very enchanting to watch. You can really fell under impression that it’s actual animal. Since the performance requires from the dancers a lot of strength, stamina and some acrobatic skills it used to be performed by kung-fu adepts. Being chosen to be a ‘lion’ was seen as an acknowledgement of someone’s martial skills. Only the best students from kung-fu schools could perform. Nowadays this tradition is more and more hard to come by. I’ve been living in China for 3 years, but the only time I’ve seen the Lion Dance was when I traveled to Malaysia (there's large Chinese community). That’s a real pity.
If you ever have a chance to witness the lion dance consider yourself lucky. Maybe the lion will ‘spit’ some prosperity towards you as well.
If you ever have a chance to witness the lion dance consider yourself lucky. Maybe the lion will ‘spit’ some prosperity towards you as well.
RSS Feed
