The History of Lion / Dragon Dance

Lion Dance dated back about 2000 years in Chinese history.

Lion dance performance have been a common sight in Chinese culture whether it's Chinese New Year, grand openings, or special functions. The lion dance performance generally depicts a lion stalking for food (lettuce) along with a 'lai see' (red packet) containing money which express the gratitude for the blessing. After eating the lettuce, the lion regurgitate the greens back to the business or audience which signifies the showering of good luck.  

Lion Dance is an ancient Chinese tradition. The lion is ensembles according to a real lion. The lions is elaborate with flashy colors and little bells. Accompanying the Lions is a "Luogu" ensemble (gongs & drums). It is usually consist of one large drum played using two wooden mallets; a large gong and a pair of cymbals. Typically, the Lions Dance is perform during various festive occasion such as Chinese New Year, special birthday and wedding banquets, which call for "good luck"! 

    There are many different sayings about the origin of the lion dance but none with any real historical records. One saying quoted that 'Many years ago there was a lion the appeared in one small village and it caused harm to the people and domestic animals. There was a Kung-Fu expert who learnt of this and went into the forested mountain to fight t with the lion. He fought with the lion on three occasions but unable to capture it. So he called up some of the villagers and trained them with Kung-Fu with the intention to kill the lion. A few months later, they went up to the mountain again and finally they killed the lion. Their efforts were successful and down through the years the Lion Dance has become a symbol of good luck and chaser-away of evil spirits. The villagers, in order to celebrate this occasion, followed the steps of those who fought with the lion and thus the 'lion dance' was composed. another saying was that 'the emperor of China of the Ching Dynasty head seen a lion dance in one of his dreams and he ordered the guards of the palace to dance in accordance with what he had seen after he woke up. Of course the above two sayings were just legends.