Sunday, January 10, 2010

The past Behind The Chinese Customs

By Ricky Lim

Besides it's wealthy history, China is world well-known for its philosophy, particularly the Chinese ancient Dragon dance and also the lion dance. The traditions of the east have over the years become a rage within the west; many people relish watching these dances, knowing very little or nothing concerning their origin and importance. The Dragon it's a faith in China that the people of China are the forbearers of dragon. Dragon is in fact a legendary creature, believed to own had features of alternative animals like fish, deer, lion, horse, snake and vulture.

The Legendary Dragon Dance:- The dragon dance is a crucial festive tradition in China. Initially this dance was performed to please the God of water and for rain during the drought years. Gradually it took a type of leisure and fashioned a significant part of all festive occasions, especially throughout the spring competition and Lantern Carnival.

Dragons are usually contrived out of bamboo, wood, cloth and paper usually it is a large creation generally even ranging a lot of than one hundred meters. Poles are hooked up to the belly of the dragon and during the show; performers hold these poles and lift the dragon, starting the grand dance with the beats of roaring drums. The dragon mask and body used for the dance is coloured inexperienced, gold and red. If this dance is performed at midnight, then it is preceded by carrying bunch of burning torches to unwind the show.

The Lion Dance:- Chinese take into account the lion to be a symbol of power, pride, dignity and bravery, capable of fighting off evil spirits. In Chinese legend, lion is that the ninth son of the dragon and was thought of as the foremost defender; still it is seen in front of royal palaces and huge houses.

Besides the dragon dance, the lion dance performance conjointly contains a long history within the Chinese tradition, it was originally used for worship and to wish for rain, the lion dance is sometimes performed with the dragon dance on auspicious occasions. A smart performance is believed to convey luck and happiness.

The captivating lion dance will be seen at the time of the Chinese New Year or on any ancient festival. The lion dance is performed by Wushu - Kung Fu experts. There are usually 2 performers who bring life to the lion - the one managing the lion's head leads the dance and depicts the lion's emotions. The other plays the body and tail. They hide themselves underneath a cloth fur connected with the head. There is conjointly a third person - a man who allures the lion, and carries a silk flower ball or wears a mask of the laughing Buddha with a banana-leaf fan in one hand. He further magnifies the extent of merriment of the Lion Dance by dodging from left to right, jumping all around to create a lively entertainment, driving lion crazy.

The centuries previous traditions of the Chinese remains alive and surprisingly gaining popularity by the day. But, it is for us to keep alive the history of these age previous traditions, cultures and practices.

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