The Lion Dance will return to the Wo Hing Museum on Friday, Jan. 27, with a Chinese Lunar New Year event from 5 to 8 p.m. that includes a presentation by Dr. Busaba Yip along with a number of activities and celebrations. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WO HING MUSEUM.

LAHAINA — The community is invited to a talk story at Lahaina Public Library, 680 Wharf St., on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 3 p.m. with Dr. Busaba Yip, cultural director of the Wo Hing Museum. Yip will chat about the Year of the Rabbit, in addition to the history of Chinese New Year and the Lion Dance.

The Lion Dance, after years of cancellation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will return to Wo Hing Museum at 858 Front St. on Friday, Jan. 27, between 5 and 8 p.m., during a Chinese Lunar New Year event that also includes a presentation by Yip along with a number of activities and celebrations.

This year, 2023, is the 4720th Chinese year. It is the Year of the Water Rabbit that starts on Jan. 22, 2023, and ends Feb. 9, 2024.

“The sign of the Water Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity,” Yip explained. “It is the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac, and in Chinese culture symbolizes mercy, elegance and beauty. The Rabbit is also predicted to be a year of hope in 2023. Additionally, in Chinese astrology, the Rabbit symbolizes patience and luck, which means that the Year of the Rabbit will bring much success. It will be a good time and fortunate year for all the zodiac signs.”

One of the most important festivals in China, the Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. On the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, it remains a time to honor deities and ancestors. It has also become a time to feast in the community with friends and family members.

Legend states that the Chinese New Year stemmed from an ancient battle against the Nian, a terrifying beast that showed up every Lunar New Year’s Eve. To scare away the monster, people displayed red paper, burned bamboo, lit candles and wore red clothes. Many of these traditions have continued into the present time.

“Celebrations of the Chinese New Year traditionally lasts for 16 days,” said Yip. “Starting from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the first seven days are a public holiday, from January 21st to January 27th in 2023. Regional customs and traditions vary widely but share the same theme: seeing out the old year and welcoming in the luck and prosperity of a new year. The main Chinese New Year activities include putting up decorations, eating reunion dinners with family and friends, giving red envelopes and other gifts, safely using firecrackers and fireworks, and watching lion and dragon dances.”

The Chinese Lion Dance dates back thousands of years, with the earliest record of lions coming from the Han Dynasty (221 BCE – 200 CE). In traditional Chinese culture, the lion, like the Chinese dragon, was an animal that existed only in myth, as there were no lions in China originally.

Before the Han Dynasty, only a few lions had reached the central plains from the western area of ancient China (now Xinjiang), by way of the Silk Road trade. At that time, people mimicked the appearance and actions of the newly-arrived lions in a performance. This practice developed into the Lion Dance in the Three Kingdoms Period, and then became popular with the rise of Buddhism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Later, in the Tang Dynasty, the Lion Dance was one of the court dances.

“In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom and superiority,” Yip noted. “People perform Lion Dances at Chinese festivals or big occasions to bring about good fortune and prosperity in the upcoming year, and chase away evil spirits. The Lion Dance is one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year. The dance is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness.”

Lion dances are usually performed by two dancers in a lion costume. The performers become the body of the lion: the one in front is the head and front limbs, and the one behind is the back and hind legs. The performer’s legs are dressed the same color as the lion’s body, and sometimes the costume extends to shoes the shape and color of the lion’s paws. The lion head is usually over-sized and dragon-like, often seen in the many Chinese stone lions worldwide.

Yip concluded, “The dances are performed in costume, accompanied by the music of beating drums, clashing cymbals and resounding gongs that imitate a lion’s various movements or demonstrate martial art agility. They bring great enjoyment and delight to those present. When people meet friends, relatives, colleagues and even strangers during the festive period, they often say, ‘Xinnian hao,’ literally meaning New Year Goodness, or ‘Xinnian kuaile,’ meaning Happy Chinese New Year. One of the most famous traditional greetings for Chinese New Year is the Cantonese ‘Kung hei fat choi,’ meaning happiness and prosperity. In Mandarin, that is ‘Gongxi Facai.’ No matter the dialect, Happy New Year to all!”