Lion Dance

The origin of lion dance isn't accurately documented and is unclear but it is believed to have originated in the early Ch'in dynasty and the Han dynasty (205B.C. to 220 A.D.) and to have reached its peak during the Tang dynasty (618-904AD).

The popular mythical belief is that lion dance originated when a monster, called the Nian ("Year" in Chinese) attacked a village. The villagers asked a lion for its help to chase the Nian away and the lion scared the Nian away. Every year going forward, the villagers would from a lion made out of bamboo and papermache. Along with the drum, gong, and symbals, lion dance is performed ward off evil spirits away and a sign of fortune and prosperity.

There are two types of lion dances throughout the world. They are the Northern and the Southern lion dances. The North type of lion focuses more on a jumping style lion while the Southern type of dance focuses more on style and footwork. The largest visual difference between the two is that the Northern lions resemble more of a lion because it is more hairy. Our group performs the Fut Shan Southern style lion dance versus the Hok Shan Southern style lion dance.