Indonesian girls dance traditional dances.

Lions are mighty in appearance, vigorous in action and changeable in behavior. There are many different legends circulating among the people, which are turned into myths for a while and painted into history for a while, adding a lot of mystery to the lion dance and making it more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. People believe that lions are auspicious animals, and lion dancing can bring good luck. Therefore, during the Spring Festival or other celebrations, lions will be danced with firecrackers to help celebrate and pray for good luck. Lion dance and bouquet are excellent folk arts in China. Every Lantern Festival or assembly celebration, people come to the lion dance for entertainment. 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 was introduced from Xiliang's Masked Play, and some people think that lion dance originated from the army of Liu and Song Dynasties in the fifth century and was later introduced to the people. Both statements have their own basis, and it is difficult to judge whether they are right or wrong today.

However, in the Tang Dynasty, lion dance has 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, each with five colors. Each lion has 12 people, wearing red forehead, wearing clothes and painting clothes, holding a red stroke, named Lion Lang, dancing and enjoying peace. "

The poet Bai Juyi vividly described this point in his poem "West Cool Geisha": "West Cool Geisha, West Cool Geisha, Masked Hu Ren, False Lion. Carved wood at the head and tail, gold-plated eyes and silver teeth. " Finson's sweater 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.

Northern lion is popular in the north of the Yangtze River. Southern lion is popular in South China, Southeast Asia and overseas, especially in Guangdong.

The shape of the northern lion dance is very similar to that of a real lion. The whole body is covered with a lion's cloak, and the lion dancer only shows his feet. There are lionesses and lions in the north, as well as Wen lions, Wu lions, adult lions and young lions. The northern lion shows flexible movements, which is different from the southern lion. Dance is mainly about jumping, falling, turning, rolling, jumping and scratching.

The southern lion dance consists of one person dancing the lion head and one person dancing the lion tail. Lions are different from lions in the north in shape, style and color. Lion dancers wear all kinds of knickerbockers and Tang-style lantern sleeves or tightly buckled vests to show the whole body of the lion dancers. You must try your best to dance. There are many dances of the Southern Lion, such as rising, normal, rising, asking questions, scratching, welcoming, saluting, jumping, checking, sleeping, going out of the hole, outbursting, crossing mountains, going upstairs and so on. Dancers show various forms abstractly through different horse stance and lion head movements.

Moreover, the lion is the statue of all animals, and its image is majestic and martial, giving people a sense of majesty and bravery. The ancients regarded it as a symbol of courage and strength, and thought it could ward off evil spirits and keep people and animals safe.

Therefore, people gradually formed the custom of dancing lions during the Lantern Festival and other major events, hoping for good luck and peace of life.