Tuesday, February 7, 2012

lions and dragons

Last week we went to one of the nicer malls, IFC, over on the HK side to watch the movie The Descendants (which finally just made it out here).  While walking through the mall, we happened across a lion dance and a dragon dance.  This was totally unexpected and super fun.

The lion dance was really neat as the boys were very acrobatic and energetic.  For those of you who have not seen one before, the lion consists of two dancers, with one acting as the head and the other as the body.  They must work together to walk, jump, and dance in unison.  The dragon dance was also lovely to watch as the boys worked really well as a team to get the dragon to move around smoothly and quickly.  There were also musicians playing the drums, gongs, and cymbals, which kept the atmosphere very festive (and loud).  

Something different that I had not seen before was the "eating of the green" ceremony.  Each store had lettuce, various greens, and red packets hanging above the doorways that the lion dancers had to get down.  The dancers had to reach up to grab the packet and then proceed to eat it, keep the red (money) packet for themselves, and spit out the greens which represents the spreading of good luck for the new year.  This was definitely the highlight for me.

Lion heads

 
Lion leaning forward on a ladder and leaping from step to step.

Lots of strength goes into these performances.

 
Some of the dancers and musicians.

Close up...the dragon chases the ball.

People touched the lions and dragon for good luck.  So happy!

Focusing on the pattern.

Blessings.

Lettuce package hanging on the doorway of a shop.

 
Reaching for it, grabbing it, and eating it.

Close up...this had a lot of herbs and a carrot!

A different view from underneath.
(Linking to Sweet Shot Tuesday)

10 comments:

  1. i love new year celebration !! and specially those dragon head !
    BEAUTIFUL pics !!

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  2. How cool to stumble upon this. How did you like The Descendats? I just saw it this weekend too and I really enjoyed it :)

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    1. I know, right? It was so random to see and I was so happy I had my camera on hand. I really enjoyed The Descendants. It had everything in it...beautiful scenery, funny moments (the youngest daughter was hilarious), and totally got tears out of me. :)

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  3. Looks like a cool experience! I wish I could see it!

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    1. It was super neat. If you have a China Town close by, check it out next February! :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Reading your post and looking at pictures I really could imagine this event for myself! Thank you for stopping by my blog and for your sweet comment, I appreciate it!

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Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my post! I absolutely LOVE getting comments and appreciate all the feedback and responses. :D xo