Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

2010 The Year of the Tiger
Chinese New Year Parade
San Francisco,CA.
Feb. 27, 2010

Here’s a popular character seen in the parade.

Lion Dance: Lions are used to bring joy and happiness. Lion dancing is a traditional folk sports activity. From the fourth day of the New Year to the fifteenth of the first month, there are lion dance groups, each composed of seven to more than ten people, touring from village to village. All performers wear the same kind of coats, trousers, shoes and headgear, with a sash round their waist, armed with swords and clubs to give people an impression of grandeur. The lion’s head is made of paper in a traditional shape; cat’s head, rooster or the bullfighting lion. The lion’s head is complete with painted eyes, nose, mouth and tongue, decorated with bells tinkling on tassels. The body is a motley piece of cloth. The dance is performed by one fellow holding the lion’s head with both hands and another bowing low and hunching his back at the lion’s tail. They will ape the various gestures of a lion to the accompaniment of drums and gongs. Lion dancing has a long history in this country and its performers are all very skillful dancers, some excelling in the head’s movements, some in somersaulting and rocking on the ground, some acting boldly but nimbly to perform stunts.

Gung hay fat choy!