When The Lion Roars..

**The video has been fixed.  Everyone should be able to access it now.**

My first video post!  Like any ready reporter, my video was rolling milliseconds after it all began.  I had to duck, jump, run from security forces, and…

The real story begins like this: I was standing in line for some Ban Mian -- a delicious noodle dish with minced pork, egg, and dried fish -- dreading the impending six and a half hours of teaching when everything exploded.  Having lived in Singapore during the Chinese New Year period, I knew what was happening but I wasn’t sure why it was happening now, at 11:00am on a Sunday morning.  I watched as parents quickly grabbed their tear-prone children and tore them out of the seats and charged for the exits, leaving their plates of food behind (I briefly wondered if it would be bad taste to take their food).  Instead of the heroic and inquisitive reporter who charges to the scene, I thought to myself, “Goddamn it.  Goddamn it.  It’s 11:00am.”

A lion dance had just erupted outside of the food court.  Without warning, symbols had begun smashing and big bass drums were beaten by a cadre of red clad hooligans.  When you are quietly absorbed in a Sunday morning’s atmosphere, the last thing you want is a drum attack.  That’s exactly what it feels like.  Like your head is being attacked by drums.  Carrying my noodles, I slipped out the door to go back to work.  But then I thought, “This is pretty unusual.  I should catch it on video.”

The “drum attack” is necessary; it provides a rhythm for costumed lions to dance to.  Two lions, with teams of people inside, dance and roar in order to bring good fortune.  Evidentially, the people inside of the lions are both well trained and very fit.  The lions frequently rear up on their high legs, to a height of about 3m, and constantly jump and shake.  It’s acrobatic.

Like I said, the dance is meant to bring good fortune.  During the 15 day New Year Period, bands of lion people will drive around the city in pickup trucks, banging drums and symbols and shaking lions, meant to disperse good luck to everybody.  I had gotten quite used to this back in January, but I was totally shocked and blindsided by the Sunday morning display.  My colleague told me this: “When a new business opens, they‘ll hire a lion dance to bring good luck.”  The lions obviously bring some immediate attention -- it’s hard to not notice a maniacal pair of lions dancing inside a shopping mall -- and the dance is supposed to help the business begin prosperously.

If you pay attention in the video, you’ll see people delivering oranges to the lions.  A gift of a pair of oranges is very symbolic in Chinese culture: it is meant to wish prosperity and auspicious fortune to the receiver.  The lions will theatrically pretend to eat the oranges, and then leave a four digit number shaped of orange wedges.  My colleague told me that “then people will go and gamble on these numbers.”  I asked of her: “Isn’t it strange that everybody around will get lucky?”  

This is what I wanted...

And this is what I got...