Chinese Lion Dancing

Chinese Lion dance 中國舞獅 is performed by 2 dancers -one controls the head and the other controls the tail. The lion dance is always accompanied by lion dance music that exists of a drum, pair of symbols, and a gong.

The lion's head is made of bamboo and wire that is constructed into a frame that shapes the head. Inside the head, the lead dancer can control the lion's mouth, eyes, and ears. A long sheet forms the body and tail of the lion. The footwork used by the dancers incorporates all of the various Kung Fu stances and kicks. The purpose of any lion dance team is to make the lion seem as alive as possible. Teamwork between the head and tail is key, as this will give the appearance of being one lion. Learning to imitate the lion's expressions and habits is another way of making the lion seem more alive.

In the past, lion dance was reserved for the advanced students, because strong legs and arms are necessary to perform the lion dance properly. Nowadays, any student can learn how to perform a lion dance, because it provides cardiovascular exercise, stance training, and weight training all at once.

The lion is a symbol of power, wisdom, and good fortune. It's considered to chase away evil spirits, bring happiness, longevity, and good luck. Lion dance is performed during such events as at the opening of a new store, during a wedding, or to celebrate Chinese New Year.

ORIGIN OF LION DANCING

Lion dancing dates back over a thousand years. There are several myths, legends, and stories pertaining to the origin of the lion dance:

Emperors Dream: A Tang Dynasty emperor had a dream in which a strange creature saved his life. The next day the emperor described the dream to his ministers. One of the ministers explained to the emperor that the strange creature resembled a lion, which came from the west. The emperor ordered his ministers to recreate the lion he saw in his dream. Subsequently, the lion became a symbol of good luck, happiness, and prosperity.

The Monk and the Village: There was a village being overrun by rats. One day a lion appeared and ate all of the rats (odd, considering China does not have native lions). Once the lion had eaten all them, it turned on the villagers. A Buddhist monk in the village is said to have captured the lion and taught it Buddhism. Following a remarkable personality change, the tamed lion served to protect the village it once terrorized.

The Story of the Monk: Once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils. The Chinese people had never seen a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals. The monk then combined all the magical animals he could think of and created the lion.

The Nian: Every spring before the Spring Festival, the beast called "Nian" attacked the village and destroyed the crops. Tired of the destruction, the villagers banded together and came up with a solution. They built a fierce looking and brightly-colored costume with a mask resembling a lion. When the Nian returned to terrorize the villagers again, they donned the costume and waved the mask towards the Nian. They pranced about in this costume, while making loud noises from beating pots and pans. This all was enough to frighten and drive the beast away and never to return again. Since that time, the event has been reenacted annually, on Lunar New Year, to symbolize happiness, success, and good fortune. In some accounts of the story of the Nian, the beast was actually a lion which was eventually tamed by a Buddhist monk and it became the guardian to the villagers. Some lion dances also include a costumed version of the Big Headed Buddha (in Cantonese, it is called the Dai Tao Fut)

Revolution: Another reason Kung Fu stylists perform the lion dance is that lion dancing gained its greatest fame during the period of the Ching dynasty when Chinese patriots were fomenting rebellions against their Ching (Manchu) overlords. Lion dancing was performed from village to village under the guise of a celebration. In reality, revolutionary martial artists were exchanging information along with the money they collected to various revolutionary cells. During the celebration, the dancing lion ate lettuce as part of the dance routine and this lettuce often contained money and information hidden within its leaves. In revolutionary days, the dancer holding the lion's head would cry out choi ching "get the Ching" to signal that he was a fellow revolutionary and could receive secret messages. Of course, any Ching informers present would know the dancer's intention upon hearing the battlecry. Therefore, since ching was very close in sound to chiang (meaning green, as in lettuce and money), the lion dancer's password became choi chiang or "get the green." Patriotic martial artists continued to recognize the lion dancer's yell as their secret password. Choi chiang is still used today as the traditional lion dancer's expression when he goes after the symbolic lettuce and good luck money.

Kwan Yin (Goddes of Mercy:) In this story, the mythical lion was a heavenly creature that was fond of causing trouble and making practical jokes. One day the lion’s behaviour angered the Jade Emperor who became so enraged that he promptly cut off the lion's head. Feeling pity and merciful, Kwan Yin, re-attached the lion's head and body with a long red ribbon and give the lion life again on condition that it will do acts of goodwill. Today, the red ribbon is seen on the lion head and it symbolizes positive life energy, Yang energy (Yin, which is negative energy, is the opposite of Yang). Kwan Yin also attached in the front of the lion's forehead a unicorn horn and a reflective mirror which are believed to bring good fortune and ward off evil spirits. (Unicorn is one of the celestial animals in Chinese folklore).

HOI GWONG OR DIM JING

Hoi Gwong 開光 or Dim Jing 點睛 originated from Chinese to mean ‘Opening of Light’ or ‘Eye Dotting’ ceremony is a ritual for all new lions, lions are not allowed to be used when they have not gone through this ceremony.

Traditionally, before the ‘lions’ do their performances, the lion must be blessed and perform it’s first dance. In the old days a taoist priest had to come to bless the lion to be effective and activate its magical powers. Nowadays, the ceremony can be performed by anyone with a high standing in the community. This can be the most senior person of the Kung Fu system, a celebrity or any honorable person. Many honored guests may be invited to the ceremony, but it is acceptable for just one person to do all the dotting of the lion.

The materials necessary for blessing the ceremony include: one Chinese red ribbon, one pair of Chinese golden paper flowers, green onions, ginger root, a Chinese writing brush and red cinnabar powder. The cinnabar powder is the main ingredient for the ceremony.

Cinnebar powder mixed with water and held in a piece of hollowed out ginger is brushed onto key parts of the lion imbuing it with a strong spirit to carry out its work. In Chinese culture, red is the color of happiness and celebration, and in this case the color of blood to represent the life being instilled in the new lion. In the old days blood was used from a pig or rooster or pig squeezed from the comb of a live rooster.

The horn of a lion is considered it’s link to heaven and considered a source of power and life to the lion. Other symbolics elements are attached to the horn, to strengthen the link and add wishes for additional blessings. For instance the golden flowers with the peacock feather symbolize a high rank (Decorations like these were affixed to the hats of candidates who passed China’s challenging civil service examinations) and bring good fortune. The green onions are homonyms for intelligence and bolster the ability to ward off evil. The red ribbon tying it all together shows that the lion is tamed and also a reminder for the lion to do only good deeds.

Dotting the lion is crucial part of the ceremony. Dot the mirror on the lion’s forehead (this is known as the third eye) so it can ward of evil spirits. Dot the left and than the right eye so that the lion can see. Dot the left and than the right nostril so that it can smell. Dot the mouth (tongue) so that the lion can eat. Dot the left and than the right ear so that they can hear the beat of the drums. Dot the horn (the mirror on the red ribbon). Dot the lion’s spine all down it’s body. Dot the left and then right feet to ensure that it is brought to life from head to tail. This is done to awaken the spirit of the dancing lions, making them alive so that they can bring down the positive spirit element from heaven.

The ritual for the ceremony starts with the new lion in front of the Kung Fu schools altar. With the red ribbon tied on the horn and all the symbolic attachments attached.

The Sifu starts by lighting three sticks of incense. Incense are believed to send a signal to the heavens in hopes that they heed and bless our new lion. The rising smoke, pleasing fragrance arouses whoever is enshrined in the altar and bring their spirit in attendance.
The Sifu and lion dancers will pay respect to the altar by bowing three times.
Lion dancers go under the lion so the dotting ceremony can begin (the eyes are securely shut and its mouth is tightly closed).
Lion wakes up for the first time.
The lion pays respect to the altar by bowing three times (left, right and center.
The lion starts his first dance

TYPES OF LIONS

Chinese lions are generally categorized into two types - a northern lion and a southern lion.

The Northern Lion is more acrobatic and often perform as a pair (male and female). The appearances of these lions consist of long, shaggy orange and yellow hair with a golden face. The male lion has a red bow and the female has a green bow.

The Southern Lion is more symbolic and has two styles, the Fut San and Hok San

There are different colors of lions. Each color has a different meaning and is based on historical characters.

The yellow lion is known as the "Auspicious Lion" and is named after Liu Bei 劉備. He is the eldest of three brothers and has an imperial yellow based face with white beard and fur. It has a multi colored tail signifying the colors of the five elements and there are three coins on the collar.

The red lion is known as the "Awakened Lion" and is named after Guan Yu 關羽. He is the middle of three brothers and has a red based face, black bristles, and a black beard. The tail is red and black with white trim and there are two coins on the collar.

The black lion is known as the "Fighting Lion" and is named after Zhang Fei 張飛. He is the youngest of the three brothers and has a black based face with a short black beard, small ears, and black bristles. The tail is black and white with white trim and a single coin on the collar.

The green lion is known as the "Heroic Lion" and is named after Zhao Yun 趙雲. He has a green based face with white beard and fur. The tail is green with black trim and a has an an iron horn.

The yellow/orange lion is known as the "Righteous Lion" and is named after Huang Zhong 黃忠. He has a yellow/orange based face and body with white beard. The tail is yellow with white trim.

The white lion is known as the "Funeral Lion" and is named after Ma Chao 馬超. The lion is only used for the funeral of a Sifu or an important head of a group. In the event this lion is used, he is burned right after use, as it is symbolically inauspicious to be kept around.

All of these lions together were known as the "Five Tiger Generals of Shun" -each representing one of the colors of the five elements.