Dear friends,
It's bitterly cold and cloudy than the 1st and 2nd day of Chinese New Year Festival, about nine degree in the whole day, but a spiffy lion dance was conducted in an abubble atmosphere. It has been a long time not to see lion dance on the street since the Hong Kong Government had to put a stop to lion dance completely in 1970s. As far as I could understand, people who joined lion dance troupes were 'gangster-like' and there was a lot of flighting amongst lion dance troupes and kung fu schools in 1950s - 60s. When lion dance troupes met on the street, there would be flights between groups. As a consequence, lion dance troupes must attain a permit from the government in order to perform lion dance. Also to this point, we can't see lion dance on the street except in some shopping malls or in some new opened shops.
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Today, it is the 3rd day of Chinese New Year Festival, my mother and I visited my uncle family, my uncle who lives in California Garden of Yuen Long, his property management company conducted a lion dance show for all residents in celebration of Chinese New Year Festival. We arrived upon the scene at around 1:30pm, but eventually it started at 2:15pm due to the performing troupe was late for the show. Anway, it was a good show!
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As for the lion dance costumes, all performers wore a set of matching pants, performed the same lion head. In fact, the styles of lion dance do vary widely, but the lion head designs exhibit greater differences. The traditional Fuo Shan lion has bristles instead of fur and weights more than the current in-fashion ones... Obviously, this performing troupe using the newer style of lion, this style replaces all the bristles wih fur and the tails are shorter than traditional Fuo Shan lion. See pictures below, these lions with the yellowish fur on their eye-lash and mouth, colorful face and on the back there are gold foiled rims and traditional Chinese characters saying the troupe's name 'Ha Chiu Kin'.
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(On the back there are gold foiled rims and traditional characters saying the troupe's name "it means the lion owned by 'Ha Chiu Kin"'s troupe)
(My uncle and my mother taken before the lion show)
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In the old days during the Chinese New Year, lion dancers from martial art school would visit the houses and store front of businesses to 'Chai Ching, the businessmen hanged 'lai see' and lettuce high above the front door for lion dancers to perform 'Chai Ching', it traces my memory back to the old days, I saw lion dancers to move high and down the lion head, right and left again, it looked like a lion feeling the food, the lion approached the lettuce like a curious cat, consumed the lettuce and spit out the leaves.. finally the lion opened its mount and showed to the people a edible characters such as 'Kung Hei Fat Choi', 'Gain for Big Business'...etc.
These three showed the people different wishes, they are 'Kung Hei Fat Choi', 'Everything is going well' & 'Do the big business'.
The tradition in Chinese becomes a mutual transaction because the lion dance is supposed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the dancers 'must' 'have to' receive the big amount of money as reward.. If someone ask you who said that, please ask him/her, I said!
With Best Wishes in Chinese New Year Festival
