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Celebrating New Year in China is one colourful event especially with the dragon dance performance.
The Chinese people believe that dragons are helpful and amiable creatures which are the representations of good luck, strength, longevity of life, and wisdom. Chinese culture links the existence of dragons with the Pearl of Knowledge as they are the bringers of rain and water especially to the agricultural farmlands of China. It is in this belief that most Chinese communities create longer dragons for their dances. Their conviction is that, the longer is the dragon, the luckier will their communities become for the upcoming New Year. In fact, based on my experience, the very long dragons require at least twenty up to thirty people to give support to the tail. Now that’s quite amazing.
Simply observing the dragon dance performance made me realize that the creature is truly diverse in form and personality. Its horns are like those of the stag’s, the eyes are like the demon’s, the scales are of the fish’s, the claws seem like the eagle’s, the footpads are of the tiger’s, the whiskers are of the cat’s, and the ears are like those of the bull’s. Its golden coloured spine shines under the sunlight and it is often provided with wires so that it glows during the night performances.
During the dance performances, spectators offer money which the dragon is supposed to catch. The higher the value of the money is, the higher it is held by the audience. However, it is a sign of bad luck if the money is held out of the dragon’s reach.
Dragon dance performances for the New Year can either be held during daytime or night time. Night performances start off with a dancer carrying a torch to signal the beginning of the procession. Parts of the competitions are gongs, cymbals, and drums which set the music for the dancers. Typical of the Chinese New Year celebration are the sounds of the gongs and drum rolls which can still be heard towards the end of the 15th day of the New Year.
I’ve actually never enjoyed the traditional Chinese dragon dance performances except when I got to witness and join the merrymaking celebration with none other than but the Chinese natives.
The Chinese people believe that dragons are helpful and amiable creatures which are the representations of good luck, strength, longevity of life, and wisdom. Chinese culture links the existence of dragons with the Pearl of Knowledge as they are the bringers of rain and water especially to the agricultural farmlands of China. It is in this belief that most Chinese communities create longer dragons for their dances. Their conviction is that, the longer is the dragon, the luckier will their communities become for the upcoming New Year. In fact, based on my experience, the very long dragons require at least twenty up to thirty people to give support to the tail. Now that’s quite amazing.
Simply observing the dragon dance performance made me realize that the creature is truly diverse in form and personality. Its horns are like those of the stag’s, the eyes are like the demon’s, the scales are of the fish’s, the claws seem like the eagle’s, the footpads are of the tiger’s, the whiskers are of the cat’s, and the ears are like those of the bull’s. Its golden coloured spine shines under the sunlight and it is often provided with wires so that it glows during the night performances.
During the dance performances, spectators offer money which the dragon is supposed to catch. The higher the value of the money is, the higher it is held by the audience. However, it is a sign of bad luck if the money is held out of the dragon’s reach.
Dragon dance performances for the New Year can either be held during daytime or night time. Night performances start off with a dancer carrying a torch to signal the beginning of the procession. Parts of the competitions are gongs, cymbals, and drums which set the music for the dancers. Typical of the Chinese New Year celebration are the sounds of the gongs and drum rolls which can still be heard towards the end of the 15th day of the New Year.
I’ve actually never enjoyed the traditional Chinese dragon dance performances except when I got to witness and join the merrymaking celebration with none other than but the Chinese natives.
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