The Elusive Lions

In past years, we have been fortunate to know where to see lion dances.  Last year, however, we did not see any.  Supposedly they are all over during Chinese New Year: at the malls, in the streets, at apartment buildings.  However, if you don’t know the place and time to see them, you are out of luck.  The times are not posted anywhere that I could find (and trust me, I looked)!  A couple times we heard the drums booming down on the street somewhere, but in the concrete jungle where we live, sound echoes off the buildings, and really the lions could have been anywhere! 

Determined to find one, I went to our nearby mall and asked the information desk if they were going to have any.  Yep, that night at nine.  Sorry, too late for the kiddos.  But there was hope; the lady also said there would be a lion dance on February 19th at noon.  That could work.  It was right after Jade gets off the bus, so I packed her a lunch, we hopped in a taxi, and made it in time to snag a pretty decent spot to view the performance. 

  

We chose a spot in the front row on the 2nd tier.  It worked out really well for the kids to see, because the wall was glass and they could see right down to the stage. 

   

We didn’t have to wait long for the show to start. 

They had some executives come on stage to do the customary eye painting/opening.

Then the show began!

 

 

 

After the performance, we snapped a few more pictures up close with the lion heads. 

 

  

Since we were out, we made a day of it and stopped by the toy store to spend the kids’ hong bao money!  Jade chose yet another pink magic wand, and Ridge was elated to get a new ball.  Although I thought this giant dinosaur was pretty hilarious, Ridge was not at all interested.  He simply threw it on the floor and wanted the ball back. 

 

Once we had our new toys, we walked across the street to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather. 

  

Later that evening, we were on our way back from visiting a friend when we happened upon another lion in the wet market!  For some reason—that I have yet to figure out—February 19th was the day for lions this year.  One even visited Cody’s office that day.  I thought it was pretty ironic we had gone through CNY without seeing any and then we viewed two different performances in two completely different locations on the same day! 

 

This one was really, really cool.  Unlike any I had ever seen before.  The lion was going from shop to shop doing a specific routine.  After it does its little performance, it eats the lettuce the shop owner has hung in front of his shop.  When the lion is finished, the shopkeeper gives the lion a hong bao (red envelope with money in it).  Apparently, this is a very customary ritual.  The lion is bestowing good luck and fortune on the shop owner, who in turn pays the lion for his service.  To me it just looked like the lion was begging for money, but evidently it is much more than that. 

 

 

I had never seen a Chinese lion in such a setting before.  I thought it was so, so cool!  Probably because it was so authentic.  The lion was not there to put on a show; it was there to bestow fortune and good luck.  Pretty cool.  These pictures are my absolute favorites of the day!