舞獅

ORIGIN

Lion Dance is a unique Chinese traditional art found in almost every Chinese community all over the world. Just as the lion's form and likeness commands respect for it is known as the king of the beast, so do the Chinese people for which this lion represents. The Chinese took the lion as a spiritual animal that symbolizes luck and prosperity. Chinese Lion Dance are divided into two major styles, the Northern and the Southern.

NORTHERN LION

The Northern Lion is called the golden lion, due to its gold colored head that is attached to a body cloth covered with long, yellow colored hair-like strand. Each lion is performed by two dancers, while a smaller version of this lion is controlled by a single performer.There basically two popular styles of northern Lion. The twin lions of Hebei and the Qing Lion of Anhui province. The Hebei lion dance is usually performed by pair of lions, while Qing lion uses uses a single lion. These two types of lion dance can still be seen in many places.

The dance of the Northern Lion is done in perfect coordination with the rhythmic beating of the accompanying musical instruments. a warrior who holds a ball of ribbon also guides the lion in its display of acrobatic stunt, such as flip, jump or roll.

Due to the early existence of the Northern Lion, there are several speculation behind its origin. One legend claims that during the time of Northern Wei dynasty, a man from an ethnic tribe of Hu brought to central China a ritual dance that uses a wooden head mask portraying a mythical beast. Soon this dance was presented to the emperor, which to the delight of the emperor proclaimed this dance "The Northern Wei Auspicious Lion". During the time of the Northern and Southern Song , the lion was known simply as the Northern Lion.

Another story claims that during the Song Dynasty, a foreign merchant visited the Chinese emperor to whom he described a ferocious beast that existed in a far away land. The emperor became obsessed with owning such an animal that he ordered his artist to create a replica of the beast with the help of the merchant. A creature that resembled the local Beijing dog was created, it was then worn by the court performer and animated through a dance like presentation. This dance was refined and passed down to the present time.

SOUTHERN LION

The Southern Lion is usually refers to the Guangdong Lion. Chinese Folklore contains different stories with regards to the origin of the Southern Lion. One has it that during the Qing Dynasty , the emperor went on a trip to southern China. One night, he dreamt of a marvelous beast that promised to bring prosperity to the land. When the emperor awoke , he called together his artists and ordered them to construct an auspicious beast based on his dream. When the creature was finally finished the emperor called it "the lion". Soon this lion was included in a dance for presentation and became a tradition handed down from one generation to another.Another story states that once a fierce beast attacked a village , and injured many of its people. The villagers thought of a way to protect themselves by constructing a large and horrible creature made of bamboo strips, papers and cloth to scare away the attacking beast. One evening the beast came back and using the man-made creature coupled with the beating of drums, the villagers were able to drive the beast away. From then on, they would perform the lion dance during important festivities to bring peace and harmony to the people.

The Southern Lion is divided into two major types, the Foshan and the Heshan. The round -shaped head of the Foshan Lion has movement that are forceful; stances that are strong and stable exuding the awesome characteristic it poseses. The Heshan Lion with an elongated head and beak-like mouth has a lighter mood coupled with quick movements and lively steps to project its gallant image.

Southern Lions are extremely colorful. Its body is made from the finest silk, rabbit fur, spangle and bells. There are basically five different designs found in Southern Lion namely:

1) The seven colored face, white beard and brow with body having five colors. This lion is called Rui Shi or auspicious lion. It symbolizes wisdom, intellect and integrity as represented by historical figure, Liu Bei .

2) The red face, black beard and brow, green nose, red and black colored body called Xing Shi

) or awakening lion. It symbolizes bravery and loyalty and is represented by the god of war Guan Yu.

3) The black face, short black beard and brow with black and white colored body is called Dou Shi or fighting lion. It symbolizes youth and courage and is represented by historical figure Zhang Fei.

4) The yellow face with silvery white beard and brow is called Huang Zhong Lion which symbolizes righteousness.

5) The green face with iron-like horn and teeth with white beard and brow is called Zhao Yun Lion which symbolizes heroism.

Today, there are new and innovative designs for lions like gold, silver, and other colors which do not represent anything but are there for aesthetic reasons. As for the dance step, the Southern Lion dances in accordance to the beat of the drum, gong, and cymbals placing emphasis on the waist energy, steady stances, agility and creativity. The beat of the drum, cymbals and gong are combined in a heart-stopping rhythm which provides the music for the lion dance. The dancer should display through the lion the general emotions of excitement, anger, sadness, happiness, fear, suspicion, greed and worry. There are some basic reactions for the lion, like when seeing green or lettuce, it should be happy: upon seeing the color red, it should be surprised; when crossing over a bridge, it should try to see his own reflection in the water; when there is wood, it should bite; when there is a post, it should try to climb it.

Certain customs and traditions are followed by the schools of Southern Lion dance. These schools have different practices or beliefs, but they do follow general rules especially when different lion dance groups converge. For example, when two lion dance groups meet, the dancers should not stand on one leg when holding the lion head for it is a sign of disrespect. Another rule is that a lion should not try to bite or sniff the tail of the other lion as these actions can lead to fights between the two groups.

A new lion usually undergoes an eye-dotting ritual which gives the lion its "spirit". The areas to be dotted with red pigment called "Zhu Sha" are the eye, ears ,nose, horn, feet, and the body. Another feature in the Southern Lion is the Laughing Buddha who guides the lion and brings out laughter from the spectators with his funny antics.

The Qing or green which is usually a green vegetable is carefully prepared with an offering or gift-attached. This Qing is fed to the lion at the end of its performance. This tradition dates back to Qing Dynasty. During this period, the people have suffered long under corrupt officials. In order to unify the revolutionaries they thought of a way to symbolize their hatred against this regime without jeopardizing the lives of the common people. In villages, they used lettuce or "green" which is actually a pun of "Qing" regime. Thus during lion dance performances a lion sees the "Qing" and goes for it by chewing and spitting it out, thus symbolizing their hatred against the present "Qing" government. This propaganda soon spread to many villages and eventually became a tradition that is practiced and preserved long after the fall of Qing Dynasty.

A sample of Eye Dotting of use on  Lion

参花挂紅 (獅頭) Putting Red Flower Ribbon On Lion's Head

参花挂紅拜師公 Can Hua Gua Hong Bai Shi Gong

PUTTING RED FLOWER RIBBON AND BOW TO OUR PREDECESSOR

戴起响鈴顯靈通 Dai Qi Xiang Ling Xian Ling Tong

WEARING THE CHIMES THAT WILL AWAKENS ITS SPIRIT

兄弟平安添義氣 Xiong Di Ping An Tian Yi Qi

MAY OUR BROTHERS HAVE PEACE AND MORE CHIVALRY

吉昌興旺永流芳Ji Chang Xing Wang Yong Liu Fang

SO WE MAY HAVE LUCK AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL ETERNITY

醒獅點睛開光曲Awakening Lion Eye Dotting Verse

(靈光) 罡氣天地人，獅中之瑞   (Heavenly Spirit) Gang Qi Tian Di Ren, Shi Zhong Zhi Rui

IN THE MIDST OF HEAVEN, EARTH AND MEN, THE LION WILL BRING US  LUCK (Dot The Forehead)

(雙眼) 千里眼，左青龍，右白虎 (Both Eyes) Qian Li Yan, Zuo Qing Long, You Bai Hu

WITH EYES THAT CAN SEE TEN THOUSAND MILES,  GREEN DRAGON ON THE LEFT AND  THE WHITE TIGER ON THE RIGHT (Dot Both  Eyes)

(雙耳) 順風耳，左通天,  右達地(Both Ears) Shun Feng Er, Zuo Tong Tian ,You Da Di

A PAIR OF SMOOTHLY WINDED EARS, FOR THE LEFT PENETRATES THE HEAVEN, WHILE THE  RIGHT REACHES THE EARTH (Dot Both Ears)

(鼻) 萬里鼻, 能辦妖淫邪惡(Nose) Wan Li Bi, Neng Ban Yao Yin Xie E

A TEN THOUSAND MILES SENSING NOSE THAT CAN TAKE CARE  ALL EVIL SPIRITS  (Dot The Nose)

(嘴) 牙尖嘴利，吼聲吭宇宙 (Mouth) Ya Jian Zui Li, Hou Sheng Hang Yu Zhou

POINTED TEETH AND SHARP MOUTH, WITH GROWLING ROARS THAT IS HEARD THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE (Dot The Mouth)

(角) 獨角震乾坤，萬丈毫光 (Horn) Du Jiao Zhen Qian Kun, Wan Zhang Hao Guang

A SINGLE HORN THAT ROCKS THE HEAVEN AND EARTH, UNLEASHES TEN THOUSAND MILES OF LIGHT  (Dot The Horn)

(被) 威猛雄獅，長壽永無疆 (Skin) Wei Wu Xiong Shi, Chang Shou Yong Wu Jiang

GIVING THIS FEROCIOUS AND BRAVE LION,  A LONG LIFE OF NO BOUNDARIES (Dot The Body Skin)

(左脚) 左脚踏七星，天下太平 (Left Foot) Zuo Jiao Ta Qi Xing, Tian Xia Tai Ping

LEFT FOOT STANDS ON SEVEN STARS, FOR THE WORLD TO HAVE PEACE (Dot The Left Foot)

(右脚) 右脚踏風雲，降龍伏虎 (Right Foot) You Jiao Ta Feng Yun, Jiang Long Fu Hu

RIGHT FOOT STANDS ON  WINDY CLOUDS, TO YIELD THE DRAGON AND SUPPRESS THE TIGER (Dot The Right Foot)

順風順水順順利利，大吉大利起鼓 Shun Feng Shun Shui Shun Shun Li Li, Da Jie Da Li Qi Gu

WITH FAVORABLE WINDS AND  ROLLING WATER THAT SMOOTHLY FLOW,  MAY WE ALL HAVE GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FORTUNE. BEGIN THE DRUM