Gung Hay Fat Choy
Tonight we sought out a traditional "Lion Dance" to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The girls have been learning about it at school and were very excited. They kept explaining that red was the color of good luck in China and they had to put lots of red things in our house for the new year (this didn't happen, though I offered red construction paper for crafts). They also said the house had to be clean for the new year and took it upon themselves to use the wet wipes we use to help make four-year-old hygiene easier (AKA Butt Wipes) to wipe down every bathroom in this house. It may have used a lot of wipes, but who am I to stop my children from voluntarily cleaning bathrooms?
The girls' school told us about a Chinese restaurant in town that offers a "Lion Dance" to celebrate the Chinese New Year. We heard it gets crowded, so we got there at 5:30 for a 6:45 dance (both girls sporting red shoes). But despite our early arrival (they don't take reservations) the restaurant was full, no chance of being seated. So, following a tip from another parent from their school who was also turned away, we went to a nearby Vietnamese/pan-Asian restaurant that also had the Lion Dance, this time at 6:30. With luck and little tenacity we scored a table and a prime seat for the main event. A round of Shirley temples to celebrate!
The story goes that the lion comes to the village each new year to scare away the bad luck. The lion is loud and powerful, and the villagers don't know what to do. So, after the dragon has chased out all the bad luck, the villagers take a head of lettuce and lace it with sleeping pills. The lion eats the lettuce and falls asleep.
Our lion was actually a team of four lions, each worn by two students at one of Boulder's Kung Fu academies. There was a loud drummer and many cymbal players, too. The lion danced and leaped up and down, shimmying around the restaurant, having a blast. Near the end he reaches to the ceiling where the crew has placed a head of lettuce -- like an overgrown bunch of mistletoe. He grabbed the lettuce, and tore it to shreds as he "ate" it, which sent pieces to all corners of the restaurant. Then he fell asleep, kind of. The whole event lasted for ten minutes or more, and the girls were great sports about the noise. They liked the lions, loved their noodle dinner, and pretty much fell into bed by the time we got home.
The video is shaky -- it's hard to have a steady hand in chaos -- and it doesn't do the event justice, but it'll give you an idea. Fun. Loud. In this video you'll see the lion eat the lettuce and you'll notice that the other lions all have lettuce bunches to eat, too. And, it will become clear that at this point -- ten minutes into the commotion -- May was more hungry than interested in watching bad luck be chased away. She had fun, but you have to appreciate that she has priorities.
Lion Dance from jennifer chapman on Vimeo.
All those years in New York and I never once went to Chinatown for Chinese New Year's, never saw a thing like this. It was fun and I bet we'll do it again next year.
The girls' school told us about a Chinese restaurant in town that offers a "Lion Dance" to celebrate the Chinese New Year. We heard it gets crowded, so we got there at 5:30 for a 6:45 dance (both girls sporting red shoes). But despite our early arrival (they don't take reservations) the restaurant was full, no chance of being seated. So, following a tip from another parent from their school who was also turned away, we went to a nearby Vietnamese/pan-Asian restaurant that also had the Lion Dance, this time at 6:30. With luck and little tenacity we scored a table and a prime seat for the main event. A round of Shirley temples to celebrate!
The story goes that the lion comes to the village each new year to scare away the bad luck. The lion is loud and powerful, and the villagers don't know what to do. So, after the dragon has chased out all the bad luck, the villagers take a head of lettuce and lace it with sleeping pills. The lion eats the lettuce and falls asleep.
Our lion was actually a team of four lions, each worn by two students at one of Boulder's Kung Fu academies. There was a loud drummer and many cymbal players, too. The lion danced and leaped up and down, shimmying around the restaurant, having a blast. Near the end he reaches to the ceiling where the crew has placed a head of lettuce -- like an overgrown bunch of mistletoe. He grabbed the lettuce, and tore it to shreds as he "ate" it, which sent pieces to all corners of the restaurant. Then he fell asleep, kind of. The whole event lasted for ten minutes or more, and the girls were great sports about the noise. They liked the lions, loved their noodle dinner, and pretty much fell into bed by the time we got home.
The video is shaky -- it's hard to have a steady hand in chaos -- and it doesn't do the event justice, but it'll give you an idea. Fun. Loud. In this video you'll see the lion eat the lettuce and you'll notice that the other lions all have lettuce bunches to eat, too. And, it will become clear that at this point -- ten minutes into the commotion -- May was more hungry than interested in watching bad luck be chased away. She had fun, but you have to appreciate that she has priorities.
Lion Dance from jennifer chapman on Vimeo.
All those years in New York and I never once went to Chinatown for Chinese New Year's, never saw a thing like this. It was fun and I bet we'll do it again next year.
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