logo for my-island-penang.com

Home
Penang Blog
Getting here
Getting Around
Penang Introduction
Penang Weather
Penang Events
Penang Info
Penang Hotels
Penang Festivals
Penang Folklores
Penang Food
Beyond Penang
Places of Worship
Pictures Of Penang
Kee Heritage
Family Circle
Advertise with us
Site Search
Timeshare
My Hidden Treasures
Privacy Policy
Link Exchange
Keep in touch
Teluk Bahang
Chinese New Year
Penang Shopping

XML RSS
What is this?
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Add to Google
leftimage for my-island-penang.com
 

Lion Dance Photos

A great live photo review

How I love watching the Lion Dance as they are so alive. The photos cannot be anywhere the same.

But it is better then nothing. It was a real live experience to get to witness the Lions in action.

The movement of the Lions springing in their invigorating dance always excite me. Listening to the loud drumming, one can get bored as it is noisy and the street packed with people.

Not a scene locals to would to be in but obviously they can not stay away. Such is the power of the Lion Dance drums.

Choose your Penang vacations during Chinese New Year in January, chance are you get to feel this lifetime experience of witnessing the two types of Lions prancing in our Penang streets.

Stalls of Chinese traditional food like Pie Tie and Poh Piah, were sold by stalls erected for the event.

The playful Northern Lion in Penang
The playful northern Lions

The Lion Dance liven up the street while I had Kuih Pie Tie (a Nyonya cup cake with savory ingredients) and Poh Piah on the seventh day of Chinese New Year "everybody birthday.

It was so crowded, packed like sardines where the Northern Lion was practicing the steps how they were going to jump up and down the metal poles.

As I didn't want to miss out other events held concurrently, I must admit I followed the drums, the crowd, where my eyes saw the the sardines packed area, I want to be there to know what was going on.

Types of Lion Dance

Northern Lion in action
He jumps and the crowds roars

The two types of Lion Dances are the Northern style and the older Southern style.

Although the lion is not native to China, Buddhists and many others use it to represent courage, energy and wisdom.

In this context the Chinese consider the lion to be a peaceful creature, unlike the fierce tiger which is native to the middle kingdom.

I have some picture showing the playful Northern Lion Dance getting ready to show their act in Penang during our Chinese New Year event . The storyline for the playful Northern Lion dance mostly shows a monk waking up the Lion.

Types of Lion Dance
The Northern and Southern Lions

How he would encourage the Lion to wake up to do its role in dispensing the greens onto the audience, giving them the blessings of wealth and good fortune.

These symbols combine to cure sickness, bless marriages and guard against misfortune.

Whereas the Southern Lion Dance has become an extension of the Chinese Martial spirit, and is always performed by students of martial arts society.

Following the Lion Dance, you will see forms, or choreographed routines, performed by the Lion Dancers.

Happy Northern Lion
The playful Northern Lion

The early martial artists, studying in Buddhist temples, imitated the fighting styles of the animals in nature that they observed such as the tiger and the crane.

Other styles include the leopard, praying mantis, eagle, snake and dragon.

The forms you will see imitate the movements and characteristics of these animals. Watch how the fiercer Southern Lion blesses one such premises in Penang.

The Chinese consider the lion dance to be a vehicle for dispensing all the good blessings of heaven to the whole community. It is done not only during the New Year's celebration but also on auspicious occasions, and represents the hopes and aspirations of the Chinese people for all the good things life holds.

Grab this swicki from eurekster.com

Go to Top of Lion Dance Photos Page

Back to Chinese New Year Page

Back to Hokkien New Year Page

Back to Humans Birthday Page

Back to Penang Festivals Page

Back to My Island Penang Home Page

 

 

 

 

Subscribe to my RSS feed, if you don't know what this is, please read here more:

AddThis Feed Button

Let others know about this site by book marking at your favorite social book marking system:

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

 

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

 

footer for My Island Penang page

 

leftimage for my-island-penang.com
Thaipusam Videos
A good selection of the three days Thaipusam festivals.

Thaipusam is the most dramatic of all Hindu festivals. Visitors are able to watch the spectacular Thaipusam procession up close and discover more.

Videos

Hindu Wedding
Hindu weddings are very bright events, filled with ritual and celebration, that continue for several days.

They are not small affairs, often with 600-1500 people attending. Though
most marriages are arranged, some couples in urban areas have love marriages.

The true Indian wedding is about two families getting wedded socially with much less emphasis on the individuals involved.

Read the new blend of Buddhist and Indian ceremonies

Indian cum Buddhist Wedding