The Chinese New Year is set to start Jan. 28, and in preparation for the Fire Rooster Year — which hasn’t happened since 1957 — lion dancers made their rounds of public libraries across the city Saturday, as they do every year. A crowd of about 30 parents and kids watched the professionals from Jing Mo Athletic Association showcase martial arts moves, play instruments and don the traditional lion costume. Long Duong smiled throughout the performance as his 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, too tiny for her own seat, sat on his lap to watch. The audience looked on in wooden chairs just a couple feet away from the performers, who began the show with swift martial arts kicks, sword spinning, and a dance with a folding fan. There were no lions in China, so they created a lion of their own with a beautiful horn, eyes that glow in the dark, a big mouth to bite the beast and a long beard, because a beard is a symbol of age, and with age comes wisdom. When the beast looks at the mirror it sees evil, and when evil sees its own face it becomes so scared it runs away and never comes back. All of a sudden, the bright green lion came to life and began shaking its tail, blinking its eyes and strutting about the library as performers played drums and clashed cymbals. [...] it spit out traditional Chinese candy with shiny red and gold wrappers, much to the delight of children scrambling out of their seats to grab some.
Reported by SFGate 1 day ago.
↧