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Chinese New Year’s is here, and in Hawaii that means a visit from our favorite, jubilant, sometimes scary Chinese lions. They dance through local businesses and schools with blessings of good luck and fortune for the new year and clearing out any unwanted spirits. However, there are a lot of small details that are easy to miss—and sometimes Dragon, lion dance, eating lettuce (wishing for luck in Chinese) and firecrackers are an integral part of the Chinese New Year celebration. This celebration Danny Quon, the Dragon and Lion Dance Director with the Hon Hsing Athletic Club of Vancouver, explains this is a tradition that goes back at least hundreds of years. "It's basically an offering to the lion when the lion comes to the house or the store," he says, as lettuce is symbolic food for the lion. The word for lettuce in Cantonese is choy. If you’re lucky enough to attend a Chinese New Year celebration, you may have the chance to view a lion dance. Likely dating back 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty period of Chinese history, the dance is a spectacular, high-energy affair, with performers in bright lion costumes leaping and twirling to the sound of loud drums and cymbals, dancing to bring good fortune in the new year. Beyond the stage, during the Chinese New Year, lion dance troupes embark on a customary journey, visiting homes and shops within the Asian community for the ritual of “cai qing” (採青), translating to plucking the greens.” Here, the lion engages with auspicious green lettuce, often hung on a pole or placed on a table, symbolizing fortune. A Chinese dragon. Chinese New Year Dragon Dances. Dragon dances are an important part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Along with lion dances, they are often the highlight of Chinese New Year parades. From Chinese New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival, dragon dances can be seen in many places in China and Chinatowns around the world. They Choy cheng in Chinese basically means “plucking the greens”. The greens in a lion dance are a physical head of lettuce. However, the symbolism goes far behind some discount produce you can find at Costco. The Chinese language is full of puns and wordplay, especially when it comes to things like good luck, wealth, and happiness. The lion eats the lettuce and the packet, then scatters leaves around the street as a symbol of good luck in the New Year. Dragon dances are slightly different. All over the world at New Year, dancers dress as a dragon and dance through the streets, spreading good luck. The longer the dragon (the more dancers it has), the luckier it will be. During Chinese New Year, it’s thought that the longer the dragon, the more luck (and, historically, the more rain for the upcoming harvest season) will be brought to the community. ADVERTISEMENT To spot the dragon dance, watch for a large team of dancers who maneuver a long, serpentine body held aloft on poles with a dragon head and tail at The annual Chinese New Year festivities energized Fresno’s Chinatown on Saturday as hundreds of Fresnans crowded the historic neighborhood to watch a lion dance parade and toast to a prosperous Get ready to roar and rumble as boisterously as the grand spectacle of a lion dance! The lion dance, called mou si (舞獅) in Cantonese and wǔshī (舞狮) in Mandarin, is a traditional dance often seen in parades and public squares in Chinese and other Asian cultures. Beyond the stage, during the Chinese New Year, lion dance troupes embark on a customary journey, visiting homes and shops within the Asian community for the ritual of “cai qing” (採青), translating to plucking the greens.” Here, the lion engages with auspicious green lettuce, often hung on a pole or placed on a table, symbolizing fortune. Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year) is celebrated with traditional Lion Dancing at Jasmine Restaurant. The goal here is to grab the lettuce for good luck a The tradition of the Dragon Dance during Chinese New Year. The Dragon dance can be dated back to the Han Dynasty (202BC – 22AD) and was traditionally used as a ceremonial practice, offering respect and worship to ancestors and also to pray for rain during the year ahead, bringing fresh and bountiful crops for the village. Lee's Golden Dragon Lion and Dragon Dance Association performing Lion Dance Blessing at Fung's Kitchen on 2/5/2023Team: Lee's Golden Dragon Lion and Dragon D TCT Lion Dance celebrating Chinese New Year 2023 at May Food Produce Wholesale with a ground cheng.Team: Teo Chew Association: Unicorn Dragon and Lion Dance The Tradition of Red Envelopes during Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays in China. It is a time for families to come together, honor their ancestors, and welcome the new year with joy and good fortune. The annual Chinese New Year festivities energized Fresno’s Chinatown on Saturday as hundreds of Fresnans crowded the historic neighborhood to watch a lion dance parade and toast to a prosperous To ensure abundance and prosperity follow you all through the year, it is best to start the New Year on the right footing. Chinese New Year in 2025 falls on January 29 th, and for the first 15 days of the new moon, the Chinese perform special rituals, adorning themselves and their homes with all the auspicious symbols of good fortune. Brief Guide to Lion Dance & Dragon Dance 18th of February, 2014 0 Comments Post by: Admin There are a lot of different celebrations for Chinese New Year.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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