Its the third day of the new year! Which aka also means the lion dance troupe is coming! They come every year on the third day, somewhere around noon or evening. But this year they were pretty late, so much so we thought they weren't coming. But they came anyway, and we quickly prepared everything. Yeap, preparations are needed for CNY lion troupe. First one is optional, but we like to put it. The huge red long firecrackers.
Those are hung up on the front gates, preferably held up by a long pole, and the front gates are opened wide to invite the lion in.
Oranges! One plate outside on the gods altar, with an angpau filled with an amount of money, and one inside the main altar, same amount of oranges with one angpau.
And push the tables and chairs back from the main altar so the lion dance troupe can access it easily! Preferably a wide space for it to dance.
And change! To pretty clothes so you don't look like a ratty ol' maid when the dance troupe comes.
Usually, when the lion dance comes, they'll dance outside whilst the red crackers are going off, and then they'll slowly dance in.
First respects are paid to the altar outside, where it'll do... some dance. It sorta bows to the altar, and stuff, I'm not sure how you describe it.
And then it'll... sort of like eating the orange, but instead the dancers will peel the orange and stuff and arrange it prettily.
It'll then go in the house, leaded by the music and stuff by the rest of the troupe.
It'll do the same to the plate of oranges inside the house on the main altar.
The oranges would end up like that, and the angpau taken by the dancers as a 'gift' for their work, sort of.
Lion dancers would never back out of the house head first, instead they'll go the way they came in, butt out of the door first, but only because its considered unlucky to go head first. Similarly, its considered unlucky to walk past a lion's horn, the one on top of its head, because it supposedly is the link of the lion to heaven. To me, its just a myth, but hey, whats wrong with respecting tradition?
Its the third day of the new year! Which aka also means the lion dance troupe is coming! They come every year on the third day, somewhere around noon or evening. But this year they were pretty late, so much so we thought they weren't coming. But they came anyway, and we quickly prepared everything. Yeap, preparations are needed for CNY lion troupe. First one is optional, but we like to put it. The huge red long firecrackers.
Those are hung up on the front gates, preferably held up by a long pole, and the front gates are opened wide to invite the lion in.
Oranges! One plate outside on the gods altar, with an angpau filled with an amount of money, and one inside the main altar, same amount of oranges with one angpau.
And push the tables and chairs back from the main altar so the lion dance troupe can access it easily! Preferably a wide space for it to dance.
And change! To pretty clothes so you don't look like a ratty ol' maid when the dance troupe comes.
Usually, when the lion dance comes, they'll dance outside whilst the red crackers are going off, and then they'll slowly dance in.
First respects are paid to the altar outside, where it'll do... some dance. It sorta bows to the altar, and stuff, I'm not sure how you describe it.
And then it'll... sort of like eating the orange, but instead the dancers will peel the orange and stuff and arrange it prettily.
It'll then go in the house, leaded by the music and stuff by the rest of the troupe.
It'll do the same to the plate of oranges inside the house on the main altar.
The oranges would end up like that, and the angpau taken by the dancers as a 'gift' for their work, sort of.
Lion dancers would never back out of the house head first, instead they'll go the way they came in, butt out of the door first, but only because its considered unlucky to go head first. Similarly, its considered unlucky to walk past a lion's horn, the one on top of its head, because it supposedly is the link of the lion to heaven. To me, its just a myth, but hey, whats wrong with respecting tradition?
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