Siow says the performance drives away evil and brings good fortune for all. — Malay Mail picKUALA LUMPUR, — One event that is synonymous with Chinese New Year is the lion dance. Loud and colourful, this is one of the most anticipated sights of the holiday as it signifies a new beginning and is believed to bring good luck to all.
There is a whole meaning and history behind the lion dance with different variations and styles. In order to learn more, lion dance master Siow Ho Phiew explains the tradition and origins of the different types of lion dance.
There are two main types of lion dance. The Northern lion dance is often performed with a pair of male and female lions with the lions’ shaggy hair giving a playful yet lifelike appearance for the imperial court.
The Southern lion dance is most commonly seen across Asia and is frequently performed during Chinese New Year.
“Currently we keep the traditional look of the Southern lions but we mix performance styles from both types,” said the 61-year-old dance master.
“All the performances you see drive away evil as well as summon good luck and fortune.”
When it comes to the dances they normally depict actions such as sleeping, waking up, scratching, stretching, playing, eating, jumping and resting. Chinese drums and cymbals set the rhythm to the moves for the performers to follow.
“There will be 18 different types of music for the dancers to follow and each signifies a certain movement,” Siow said.
“With all the elements in play the performance displays a high degree of orchestration and effective storytelling.”
After the initial dance, the lion will proceed to the eating element of the performance. Lettuce is used by the receivers for appeasement. In recent times, people have also begun attaching ang pow to the lettuce as an offering.
Siow continues: “Once the lion ‘eats’ the lettuce it will move away to vomit the bad parts of the lettuce while returning the good parts to the provider for good fortune.
“When it spits out the remaining lettuce, it represents fatt choy or spreading the prosperity.”
Siow also said modern day lion costumes were far more diverse and colourful than traditional outfits and that the original colours of the lions were yellow, red and black.
“Now people can see all kinds of colours including blue and green. This is to entertain different requests. What is important is the performance creates great atmosphere during Chinese New Year,” he said.
LION DANCE master Siow Ho Phiew explains the origins of the Southern lions and the historical characters each lion symbolises, which date back to the Han dynasty of 206 BC.
Yellow
The eldest brother in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty and was known as a benevolent and humane ruler.
His lion, called Rui Shi — meaning auspicious lion — is a symbol of wisdom and has an imperial yellow or gold face with white beard and fur.
It also sports a multi-coloured tail signifying blessings from heaven.
Red
Guan Gong or Lord Guan is the second of the brothers from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and is known for his loyalty, strength and long black beard.
He is represented by Xing Shi, which translates to ‘awakened lion’ and has a red face with a black beard.
Black
The youngest of the three brothers is Zhang Fei and was famous for his short temper and love for fighting, making him a formidable warrior.
His lion, Dou Shi — fighting lion — is usually performed by beginners and has a black face, short beard, small ears and black tail.
There is a misconception black is an unlucky colour but here it represents youth in Chinese tradition.
Green
Zhao Yun was added to the list of historical characters and is often referred to as the fourth brother.
The lion is called the heroic lion and depicts Zhao’s rescue of his master’s infant. His lion is predominantly green with a white underside and white beard and fur.
White
The lion of Ma Chao is only used during funerals and represents his battles against the Emperor of Wei, Cao Cao. White is symbolic of the white arm band Ma Chao wore into battle to signify his mourning of his father and brother who died at the hands of warlord Cao Cao.
Traditional taboos
As the lion dance symbolises a centuries-old tradition, here are a few things to remember:
● Never touch a Chinese lion costume by its tail as your luck will hit rock bottom.
● Do not jump over a lion costume as it is disrespectful to pass above it.
● Do not touch the lion’s horns and mirror decorations as they are used to ward off evil spirits.
● Avoid feeding the lion anything white as it symbolises death.
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