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Dear friends,
Today we go to Sai Kung, a small village in the New Territories. It's a long trip because you have to change the MTR twice and when you arrive at Diamond Hill you have to take the local bus 92 to Sai Kung. It's a trip of around two hours.
Sai Kung is the starting point for serveral beautiful hikes around beaches, sea and woodlands. But we decided to quit our hike today because in the village was a Tin Hau and Dragon / Lion Festival going on.
The information about the Dragon and Lion Dance is provided by www.china.org.cn Many thanks for using the information Dragon Dance. China's modern mascot may be the panda. However, the country's emblem, representing the heavenly power of the emperor is the dragon. For over 2,000 years, the dragon has stood as a symbol of deity, and imperial power. The Dragon Dance, accordingly, has been elevated from praying to the gods for rain to expressing people's courage, pride and wisdom.
The Dragon Dance enjoys a vast diversity of models and forms. As a totem of the Chinese nation, among
farming communities, it is still heralded as a token of the coming spring rains. It is also danced to drive away ghosts.
The dragons come in various forms, such as the cloth dragon, the grass dragon, the fire dragon and the segment dragon, and the dance varies from form to form. The cloth dragon has a visibly separated head and body, connected by cloth. The longer the dragon is, the more performers are involved. One person leads the dragon, guiding at whim the beast's rise and fall, from rapid undulations to slow ripples. It will alternately seem to fly up to the sky or hide under the ocean, imitating the movement of breaking waves.
The fire dragon takes its name from the candles placed along each section of the dragon body. When performed at night, firecrackers are set off, adding to the fiery surroundings of the sinuous puppet.
The grass dragon, also called "burning incense dragon", is built from rice straw and green vines, with burning incense contained inside it. Deployed during summer nights, the dragon is like a meteor attracting a lot of insects. When the performance is over, the dragon is lowered into a pool
to drown the insects.
Usually, the Dragon Dance is performed by many people using stage props. The song and dance end as the stage props come together to form the head and tail of a dragon. The dance ends with the symbolic ascension of the dragon, pervading the audience with its elegance and uniqueness.
Lion Dance The Lion Dance is one of the most popular dances in China. Known as the king of animals, the lion is a traditional symbol of good luck in China. The dance has a long history stretching back 2000 years. Records show that during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Lion Dance was already performed for the royal family.
In the Lion Dance, two people act as a lion; one moving the head and the other moving the body and tail; while one performer plays the part of the cub. The last dancer sways the silk ball with which the lion plays.
Skill is vital while any one of the many kinds of Lion Dance which continues to be one of the most popular forms of dance amongst acrobatics troupes today.
During the Lantern Festival
and other festivals, the lion dance marks the beat of the frolics, bringing luck and happiness to all who contemplate it, if well-performed.
Styles of Lion Dance
The performances can be divided into Wenshi (civil lion) and Wushi (martial lion). Wenshi depicts a docile and amusing lion, playfully licking others and gently nodding off. Famous examples of this dance are the Luohan Playing with Lion in Sichuan and Hunan provinces and the Laughing Monk Playing with Lion in Shaanxi Province.
Opposed to his friendly cousin, Wushi portrays the power of the lion. Besides the athletic jumping and tumbling, performers show off their techniques by climbing upon a high table or by stepping across five wooden stakes. For instance, the Gaotai (High Terrace) Lion Dance of Sichuan Province is performed on seven high tables, increasing the difficulty. In recent years, the Lion Dance in Beijing melded different stylistic elements to become a new style.
Types by Geography
In over 1,000 years of development, the lion dance has developed into two major genres -- Northern Lion Dance and Southern Lion Dance.
The Northern Lion Dance has a longer history than all other forms of lion dance.
It is said that in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), Emperor Wudi launched an expedition to Hexi in Gansu Province, and captured over 100,000 Mongols. The emperor ordered the Mongols to dance for his entertainment. Over 30 Mongolian warriors held wooden carved animal heads, two large and five small, and clothed themselves animal skins, dancing before the emperor. The emperor was very pleased and named it Northern Wei Auspicious Lion, before allowing the captives to return home. The lion dance became popular across northern China, and the Northern Lion Dance was born.
The Northern Lion Dance mainly focuses martial lion performances such as the Auspicious Lion of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The small lion dance is performed by one person, while its larger counterpart is carried ou by two persons, with one person wielding the lion head while standing, and the other holding up the lion body and tail in a stooped position. Guided by the lion dancers, the lion writhes, falls forward, jumps and takes a bow, accompanied by higher-flying maneuvers, such as walking on wooden or bamboo stakes, jumping over a table, and stepping on a rolling ball.
There are several legends about the Southern Lion
Dance in China. One of the legends surmises that in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Qianlong dreamed about the pilgrimage of an animal with bright fur on his inspection tour south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. After his return to Beijing, the emperor ordered his men to make a figure according to the image of the auspicious animal he dreamed about. He further ordered it to be paraded during festivals and ceremonies, to make the state prosperous and people peaceful.
The Southern Lion Dance mainly focuses on the civilized lion dance. The performance focuses on movements like scratching an itch, shaking the hair, preening itself and so
Birthyday of the Tin Hau Festival
Third Moon, Day 23 All those who owe their livelihood to the sea praise Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea.
Tin Hau's birthday is celebrated to bring safety, security, fine weather and full nets during the coming year. There are celebrations at Tin Hau temples all over Hong Kong. Seafarers adorn boats with colourful ribbons praising the goddess for past protection and praying for future luck. Boats are loaded with symbols of devotion and offerings
to the goddess.
The festival in her honour culminates in a procession and is characterised by floral paper offerings known as fa pau. Every year Joss House Bay, in Sai Kung, hosts a vivid celebration, where traditional rites are observed at the temple. In Yuen Long, in the New Territories, a parade takes place with lion dances.
After a very nice and interesting day we went to the harbour and bought to lobsters (still alive) for our diner in our hotelsuite.
See you next time and stay tuned for more exciting traveladventures.
From Sai Kung and Hong Kong with love.
Monkey and Bear
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Erika
non-member comment
Kleurrijk
Hoi Aad en Ineke, ik zit zo te genieten van al die kleurrijke taferelen die jullie op de foto's zetten. Janneke had gisteren foto's bij zich van Japan, maar daar leek alles grijs en grauw. Kennelijk toch een heel andere cultuur daar? Dank voor jullie lieve mailtjes. Ik ben inderdaad erg opgelucht op het moment. Vanavond mag ik weer (legaal) met de pootjes op de bank, en hoef ik lekker niks. Dikke kus voor allebei, Erika