Lion Dance

By Gerald Chung, Eastern Times

KUCHING: After the long Chinese New Year break, businesses are returning to normal. More food courts are resuming their normal operations and shops are beginning to open, ushering in good health and fortune for the Yyear of the Golden Rat.
Lion dance performances are carried out to bring luck as well as to ward off evil spirits.
A random survey around the city yesterday showed that despite being a Sunday, lion dance troupes were spotted all over the city, visiting businesses that opened up. The lion dance is always a crowd puller, especially at eatery outlets.
During the Chinese New Year, it is a tradition for lion troupes to go from shop to shop to perform. Normally, the shop owners would ‘feed’ the lion with oranges, lettuce and of course, a red packet filled with money. This generosity would bring prosperity to the business for the coming year.
Some shop owners would place obstacles in the path of the lion during the feeding ritual. Frequently, the lettuce with the red packet would be hung up high in the doorway or open space and the lion dance performers would have to use their skills to retrieve the food and the red packet. This obstacle performance was always a crowd puller as it involved acrobatic stunts.
The origin of the lion dance is linked closely to the origin of the Chinese New Year celebration. In ancient times, a mythological creature known as Nian terrorised China and devoured people on the eve of the New Year. The only animal that managed to overpower this beast was the lion.
Thus, in an attempt to frighten off the beast, villagers decided to mimic the lion by making lions from cloth. Hence, the tradition of the lion dance was born, and it has become a must for the occasion since. Often, the lion dancers are accompanied by two other masked dancers who act as jokers to provoke the lion. The dance is commonly performed to the beat of the Chinese drums and the clanging of cymbals.
During the next few days until the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, lion dancers will continue to travel from place to place to perform, with the hope of earning a few dollars more.
They are usually hired to perform at individual homes and business premises such as shops, hotels and shopping complexes during this auspicious period.

Spend the First CNY away from Sarawak, no usual bang of the fireworks, just stayed at home, did hear sound of lion dances around the neighbourhood, no warfare like the ones in Kuching-kenyalang and green road (people say if you go to the Chong Lin Plaza at midnight for CNY, you will have a clear view of the fireworks...tsk..tsk...)
Check in at nadai.nama for his views on the fireworks in Kuching...steady