Growing up with many Chinese classmates and friends during my teenagers era in Taiping, Perak meant that the neighbourhood celebrated the Lunar New Year. I remember my elderly Chinese neighbour explained about being a boy in China and celebrating for 15 days with food, family and, of course, firecrackers that supposed to ward off bad spirits but, for him as a lion dancer, the smoke and noice can be a challenge.
Uncle Chong said, “That's why we tell our performers to wear a mask and wear earplugs, as well. The purpose behind our lion dance is to to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, and bring the good luck and prosperity to any individual or group. When people see the lion dance, it's basically a Chinese martial arts form. Lion dancing dates back thousands of years are a popular tradition in Asia during Chinese New Year.”
Coincidentally, my wife, Zarina & I were on vacation with our children and grandkids in conjunction with the Chinese New Year 2576 Kongzili celebrations in Jakarta. At the best decorated shopping malls in the city we were entertained with the sound of drums, which is the heartbeat of the lion dance performance, the cymbals & gong. We saw it like any form of dance, it's not just like synchronization with the music and coordination.
I debriefed my inquisitive kindergarten granddaughter, Ilyan Faqihah and her primary school sisters Iffah Faizah & Ilfi Fatihah that the dancers have to give the lion life because, in lion dancing, they've to play the character of a lion. It has to be something that's clearly captivating for the audience to understand.
Lunar New Year is the perfect time to learn and celebrate the Chinese traditions, art, culture, values and heritage. For lion dancing, it takes a lot of cardio, strength and stamina to perform multiple five or six minutes in a row. They want people to see that lion dance performance is for everyone, regardless of race, gender or religion. I trust this dance performances have inspired my grandkids the beauty of multicultural.
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