What does the auspicious pattern of lion rolling hydrangea popular in ancient Chinese New Year mean?

Lions have a dignified appearance and were regarded as advocates of law in ancient China. In Buddhism, it is also the guardian of temples and other buildings, and it is the god beast that Sakyamuni serves Manjushri with his left arm. The image of the lion is also widely used among the people, such as the lion with the right front foot (commonly known as hydrangea), the lioness with the left front foot stepping on the little lion, and the male and female lions playing hydrangea, which is called "double lion rolling hydrangea". Large families often carve huge lion towns to ward off evil spirits. Double lion rolling hydrangea is called "lion rolling hydrangea" by the people, which means happiness, auspiciousness and joy. According to popular legend, when the male lion and the female lion play with each other, their hairs are intertwined and rolled into balls, and the young lion is born. Here, hydrangea is an auspicious thing, and its deformed patterns are called "hydrangea cotton" and "hydrangea pattern", which are widely used in jade carving, clothing, architecture, furniture, utensils and so on. There is lion dance among the people, which is one of the important programs of the annual championship festival.

Generally, it is a knotted or colorful lion dress, in which people live, imitating the various postures of lions, walking, sitting, leaning back and jumping. Others tease with hydrangeas. This folk dance technique was later put on the stage and spread to this day. According to legend, the story of the origin of "the lion rolling the hydrangea" goes like this: In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a famous soldier named Zong Yi, and in the 22nd year of Yuanjia (445), there was a war with Lin Yi in the south. Zong Yi was a pioneer. After successive setbacks, he came up with a clever plan and ordered his men to carve wooden blocks, make lion's head covers and masks, and then put on yellow clothes. The enemy thought it was a lion, and they all fled. Zong Yi won the victory. This kind of fighting method gradually spread to the people, and gradually increased the actions of licking, grasping and rolling, turning fierceness into a lovely image, and gradually deduced the custom of giving auspicious gifts to lions.