Celebrate Chinese New Year with element14!
Day Three: Lion Dance
Nimen hao! One day closer to the Chinese New Year, and today we're feeling inspired by an art form that's an equally integral part of Chinese culture as the New Year itself. Lion dancing!
And as you know, it's the Year of the Monkey, so in order to win our time-limited badge, all you need to do is stop by to read and comment on each of our New Year blogs. The badge will only be available to earn until February 23, after which you'll have to wait 12 years before it comes up again (given the cycle of the Chinese zodiac).
In the Jungle
Lions don't actually live in the jungle, but whatever.
I've actually had a go at lion dancing, as it's practice is a style of kung fu much like any other. It's a great workout, and even more fun than it looks!
It's unknown how far back lion dancing goes, but it was certainly established by the time of the Tang Dynasty, making it a good 1,400 years old. The New Year is a favourite time for dancers to break out their costumes and visit shops and houses to "eat" the vegetables and greens left out for them. And this ties in with yesterday's post, as the lions then pay for their produce by spitting out hong bao!
So in honour of the Chinese lion, let's hear your thoughts on projects based around music, dance and kung fu! Or, if you've already got a project that fits into this category (maybe you entered the Music Tech Challenge?) then tell us all about it. Zaijian!
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