What are the origins and customs of lion dancing?

1. As a folk art in China, lion dance has a history of thousands of years. Many people invite people to dance lions on important days and festivals. Among them, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are particularly popular in the south, and Henan, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin are the main destinations in the north.

This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period and was popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of 1000 years. According to legend, it was first introduced from the western regions, and the lion was the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva. As Buddhism was introduced into China, lion dance was also introduced into China. The lion is a tribute brought back with the peacock after Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions.

However, the skill of lion dance originated from the "masked play" in Xiliang, and some people think that lion dance originated from the army of Liu and Song Dynasties in the fifth century, and then spread among the people. Both statements have their own basis, and it is difficult to judge whether they are right or wrong today.

However, by the Tang Dynasty, lion dance had become a popular activity in the court, the army and the people. Tang Duanan Festival "Yuefu Miscellaneous Search" said: "There are five lions in the play, more than ten feet high, all dressed in five colors. Twelve people per lion, wearing red hair, painting clothes, holding red pens and dancing Taiping music. "

The poet Bai Juyi's poem "Xiliang Geisha" vividly describes this: "Xiliang Geisha, Xiliang Geisha, masked conference semifinals, fake lions. Wood carvings at the head and tail, gold-plated eyes and silver teeth. A sweater with ears is like coming to Wan Li from quicksand. " This poem describes the scene of lion dance at that time. In the development of 1000 years, lion dance has formed two performance styles, north and south.

4. The northern lion dance mainly performs the "dancers" appointed by the Northern Wei Dynasty, namely "Switzerland". Little lions dance alone, while big lions dance in pairs. One stood and danced the lion's head, and the other bent down to dance the lion's body and tail. The lion dancer is covered with a lion quilt, wearing green lion pants and golden claw boots of the same color as the lion's body. People can't recognize the lion dancer's body, and its shape is very similar to that of a real lion.

The lion guide dressed as an ancient warrior, holding a spinning hydrangea with Beijing gongs, drums and cymbals to tease the lion. Under the guidance of "Lion Lang", lions perform somersaults, jumps, climbs, bows down and other techniques, as well as some difficult movements such as walking plum blossom piles, jumping on tables and stepping on bowling balls. The Southern Lion Dance mainly performs "Shi Wen", which pays attention to expressions, such as tickling, shaking hair and licking hair. Vivid and lovely, but also have difficult skills such as spitting the ball. South Lion, centered in Guangdong, is popular in Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia.

Although the Southern Lion is also a duet, the lion dancers are dressed in knickerbockers and covered with colorful lions. Different from the lions in the north, the "Lion Lang" wears a big head Buddha mask, a cassock, a ribbon around his waist, and a sunflower fan in his hand to tease the lion, jumping up all kinds of beautiful movements with funny movements. There are many schools of southern lions, such as the lion with the head of a dog in Qingyuan and Yingde, the lion with a big head in Guangzhou and Foshan, the duck-billed lion in Gaohe and Zhongshan, and the unicorn lion in Dongguan.