It may seem simple,but the art of Lion Dancing is weaved with different etiquettes and intricate protocols. Although the rules may difer from different sects, but the general principle are the same.

For starters, all lions have to go through a birth ceremony before it can be used. The ceremony is called Hoi Gong in cantonese, which means the Opening of the Eye. A poem is recited while the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, mirror, horn, body and tail is dotted with red. Then, a red ribbon is tied around the horn to signify the lion has been tamed.

When an old lion dies, meaning it is too worn out, the head has to be burnt. It cannot be just put aside to gather webs, as a lion is alive, therefore, a respectful burial ceremony is needed.

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In the heart of Beijing is located the Forbidden City, the great set of palaces in the world and the greatest symbol of the Chinese Empire in the past. It was the Imperial Palace of 24 emperors for more than 500 years during the Ming and the Qing Dynasties. Surrounded by a 52 meter wide pit known as the Tube River, its walls stretch 10 meters high and are constructed with more than 12 million bricks.

Why they named it The Forbidden City?

It was named the Forbidden City because the wall’s entrance was restricted to everyone but the Emperor, his wife, concubines, and eunuchs. The Emperor, however, was the only man allowed inside the walls.

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 The Green Lion, Chow Yuen

We clap at the dances of the lion, but do we realise the difference of colours? And do we even know that each different coloured lion actually signifies different meanings?

Initially there were three colours of lions. The yellow, or gold, depending on how you look at it, as well as the red and the black. Later on, only were the green and white added. The five clours, represents five different elements.

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How To Define a Sight According to Feng Shui:

Feng Shui uses different methods to define a favorable sight. The most commonly used methods are:
1) The Method based on the compass
2) The Method based on shape
3) The Lo Shu Method which is supported by the Lo Shu Diagram

Feng Shui based on the compass

The origin of the magnetic compass is closely related with the geomantic fortunetelling of “Feng Shui� (“power of wind and water�) Feng Shui, which the date of origin is suspected to be around the 3rd century B.C, tries to harmonize the layout of buildings, cities and burial places with the cosmic energy flow (Chi).
 
To define a sight, the Feng Shui masters used a prognosis plate (earth), on top of that plate, a rotating plate (heaven). During the centuries, the rotating plate was replaced by a wooden spoon (lei dou) and later by a bronze spoon because it rotated better on the earthplate. The shape of the spoon was based on the star constellation “Big Dipper aka Big Bear�.
In the 2nd century BC, the earthplate was made of polished bronze. Hereby was also discovered that the spoon aims itself towards the north-south axis.

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It is yet another Chinese New Year and the celebrations are still ongoing. Angpau anyone? Heh. Unfortunately, I won’t be giving out any angpaus, or red packets, today. However, I will be explaining a little more into detail one of the many festivities held during the CNY celebration, the traditional Lion Dance.

Now, most of us just watch, smile, clap and laugh as the lion performs nifty tricks and moves in tune with the music being played. Most look in awe as it jumps from pole to pole, bouncing up and down, its eyelids snapping open and shut, kneeling to peel the orange, and then arrange the peeled fruit into a flower position. But what do these truly mean?

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