Chinese New Year is a time for joy.
for public celebration.
Of expectancy. Of hope.
and for recollection
The long string of firecrackers is ready.
The Dragon is coming.
to confer its gold upon the tribal pond.
turning the corner now
time to set off the fire crackers
Led by the pearl, to the entrance to the ancestral hall of the Wong clan
paying respect to the little welcoming altar with joss sticks and candles in front of the pond of the Wong clan
sprinkling it golden vitality for the blessing of the host clan
turning back to the entrance its ancestral hall
it made three bows
followed by the golden lion
It too made its three bows of respect
In the meantime, the dragon got out of the way of the lion
The lion is readying itself for the third bow
The dragon is preparing to make its entrance
but first, it must bless the pillar supporting the ancestral hall
after which it prepares to enter
the dragon dancers is bit nervous that it doesn't make any mistake
The dragon is curling up now
The lion follows close behind
It awaits it turn whilst the dragon is making a round of the front hall of the ancestral tablets
standing at the threshold of the ancestral hall
starting to move in
The lion is ready to swing into action once the dragon is done
The dragon is making its round
its head raised, it mouth wide open
it looks about
It faces the huge crowd gathered in the outer hall
Having paid its respects to the Wong's ancestors, it is ready for the exit
The elders of the Wong clan lit the joss stick
One joss stick for each of the three branches of the Wong clan
the offering to their ancestors
The last of the three joss sticks are now in place
All stood in front of the ancestral tablet to pay their respect, bowing to their ancestors one after the other
It is now the lion's turn to enter the ancestral hall
The dragon having paid its respect inside is now out again
it takes a break
another string of firecrackers is set alight as thanks for the blessings of the dragon
banging away
the fire crackers fly off and explode in the air
leaving behind thick clouds of smoke
everything is now hidden
But the firecrackers are not done yet
still spitting out its fire and noise
nearly done now
The noises seem too overpowering
The whole string of firecrackers has exploded, leaving behind a smouldering red carpet
the dragon bestirs itself , encouraged by the lion and the pearl
The lion leads the way
It's making another round of the court in front of the ancestral hall
thanking the Wongs for its welcome
and moves around the last time to bless the crowd
its head raised high
how fierce it looks
The guide of the dragon vigorously twirls his golden pearl
The dragon follows
swaying its head from one side to another
jumping up
running forward
turning around
first one way, then another
ducking into the folds of its ts own body
which is itself twisting and turning in rapid motions
it looks at the entrance of the ancestral hall of the Wong clan again
gasping for air with an open mouth
its body starts to twist and turn again as it gathers strength for its departure
it looks for guideance from the twirling pearl
having got the signal, it moves away
in the opposite direction from that of its initial entry
it looks at the ancestral hall of the Wong clan for the last time
and moves away
it dances its way around the pond
Now it's the turn of two lions to pay respect to the Wong clan and confer its blessings, a male and and female lion
They face the entrance of the ancestral hall of the Wong clan
To the rhythm of the drummer
They turn their faces this way and that
sometimes in synchronized motion
sometimes not
sometimes they raise their heads
sometimes they duck them down
it's the turn of the red lion to raise its head whilst the yellow ducks its
they bow to the ancestral hall for the last time
then face each other
They raise their heads to greet each other
the red lion bows to the yellow
the yellow lion returns the compliment
they dance against each other
they tease one another
they jump for joy
they circle the public space in front of the ancestral hall
jumping up and down
the yellow lion follows the red
they raise their head to the crowd
tease one another
The red lion beckons the yellow lion
they twist and turn, enjoying their caresses and the yellow lion mounts the red
The red lion licks the back of the yellow lion
then they did what they had to do to have another generation
then they separated
they danced for joy around the front of the square
they gave thanks to the Wong clan for giving them the space to play
like the dragon, they made three bows
they lowered their heads
raised them
and lowered them three times and when they're done, they left for another village
沒有留言:
張貼留言