The story about Chinese New Year Festival

Dear friends

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I searched some information from the internet talking the story about Chinese New Year Festival, it is quite interesting and amazing. For showing off, I will introduce the four standardized types of lion costume to you.

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In the old days, there was a monster lived near a village. This monster was called "Year Monster". It doesn't like red and it doesn't like noise. So villagers would stick red paper on their doors and red fire crackers were lit to make loud noises so as to scare the monster. When the villagers knew that the monster had gone, they would greet and bless each other. That's why Chinese people lit fire crackers and stick red blessing note on our door.

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During the early days, the lion costumes were not like what we see today (for example, the lions owned by Ha Chiu Kin). The Ha people performed the lion dance using the newer style and a set of matching pants (see my blog- Lion Dance at the 3rd day of Chinese New Year Festival in California Garden). There were only four standardized types of lion costume during the old days, they were named after the four famous warriors of the Three Kingdom, Liu Bei, Guan Gong, Zhang Fei and Zhao Zhi Long, each of them have their own color scheme.

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Liu Bie (劉備)

The Liu Bei lion is the eldest of the three brothers and has a yellow based face with white beard and fur. It sports a multi coloured tail with black as one of them which encompasses the colors of the five elements, as it was believed that being the emperor, he had the blessings of the heavens and thus control of the five elements. There are three coins on the collar. This lion is used by schools with an established Sifu or organization and is known shui shi or the auspicious lion.
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Guan Gong (關羽-關雲長)

The Guan Gong lion has a red based face, black bristles, with a long black beard. The tail is red and black with white trim and a white underside. He is known as the second brother and sports two coins on the collar. This lion is known as Shing Shi or the Awakened Lion. This lion is generally used by most.
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Zhang Fei (張飛)

The Zhang Fei lion has a black based face with short black beard, small ears and black bristles. The tail is black and white with white trim and a white underside. Traditionally this lion also had bells attached to the body, which served as a warning like a rattler on a rattle snake. Being the youngest of the three brothers, there is a single coin on the collar. This lion is known as the Fighting Lion because Zhang Fei had a quick temper and loved to fight. This lion is used by clubs that were just starting out or by those wishing to make a challenge.

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Zhao Zi Long (趙子龍)

Later an additional three lions were added to the group. The green faced lion represented Zhao Zi Long, he has a green tail with white beard and fur and an iron horn. He is often called the fourth brother, this lion is called the Heroic Lion because it is said he rode through Cao Cao's million man army and rescued Liu Bei's infant and fought his way back out.

-Best Regards

Ken Ngan Chi Keung

Lion Dance at the 3rd day of Chinese New Year Festival in Yuen Long California Garden

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

The 2nd day of Chinese New Year

Dear friends

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In the 2nd day of Chinese New Year Festival, my mother ordered a Super 'Poon Choi' in celebration of Chinese New Year Festival. Before the dinner, we took some photos in front of the so-called 'Super Poon Choi'... of course it was so delicious!

The photos above show the so-called 'Super Poon Choi'

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In order to increase the atmosphere in Chinese New Year Festival, I wrote a couplet for my family and posted it on the cistern. It means that 'Happiness and advancement in Tiger Year' at the first row, 'New Year with exultation received by Ngan's Family' at lower row.

Best Regards

The Eve and the 1st day of Chinese Tiger Year

Dear friends

Chinese New Year's day has already come, I wish you a happy and prosperous year of the Tiger in 2010. Before the first day of Chinese New Year, it was said to be Chinese New Year's Eve, my mother and I visited to Greet Spring flower market, a big and organised one can be found in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, but we just went to a small one in Morse Park in Wong Tai Sin, lots of new year decoration and plants and cut flowers for new year were sold.

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The traditonal Chinese New Year's eve flower market has become a flower market and a market for all sorts of stuff, such as Windmill, special toys & fortune sign for new year. The market in Morse Park was opened a few days before the New Year's Eve, however my mother and I chose the Eve like most people..It was not crowded in the afternoon time, but entirely different when going after 8:00pm. You should be well prepared for heavy crowds if you choose to there in the evening next year. Why the Cantonese need to buy flowers at the Flower Market? It is partly because an old Chinese saying "flowers blossom riches and honour" as far as I know.

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Doing a traditonal thing on the Eve of Chinese New Year

Visting to Morse Park Flower Market

11 Feb 2010

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The 1st day of Chinese New Year

14 Feb 2010

In traditonal Chinese New Year's days, people visit their own families, relatives and friends to greet each other, eveyone will dress up in new clothes and keep smile in these days. Edible things like biscuits, Ferrero Rocher Chocolate金沙朱古力, fruits will be given to the host as presents and the host has to return a small red packet with money to return the luck. When people meet, they wish each other good luck and married couples have to give "Lai See" (red packet with money) to children and not married adults (not too old though, may be under mid 20). 'Lai See' means luck so when one gives out 'lai see', that means he has plenty of luck to share with others. The 'market price' for 'lai see' is about HK$20 for ordinary friend's kids, more for closer friends, relatives and families. HK$10 for people who you don't know, like, if you meet someone in your friends' home. Honestly, Chinese New Year Holiday is very popular to children in Hong Kong, China and other places with chinese.

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My mother believe that good fortune will come in the forthcoming year when placing edible flowers and foods at home, unlucky words and curses are completely forbidden during New Year's day.

Herebelow are some edible wishes which are prepared by my mother:

年年有餘(即係魚), 大吉大利(即係有桔)

長長壽壽(龜代表長壽), 花開富貴

龍馬精神, 嚟多個長長壽壽咁話喎.

Anyway, I wish you a happy and prosperous year of the Tiger in 2010.

With Best Wishes,

Ngan Chi Keung