Chinese New Year's celebration in Chinatown!
Chinese new years was explosive...literally
KUNG HEE FAT CHOY!
That's how you say "Happy New Years" in Chinese
For those of you who don't know, I'm full Chinese. Yes, I'm 100% Chinese, except I don't resemble any of that my true ancestors. To start, I'm taller than most Chinese, as I'm 6 feet. And weight wise, I come in at a husky 220 pounds (not all fat...yet!) I'm also a capitalist, but you know, it seems as though my red socialist brothers are actually more capitalistic than America don't you think?
Anyway, I spent Friday night cruising the streets of Chinatown watching the lions chase the evil anti-money demons from the stores. No, that is not sarcasm there. This is what the purpose of the lion dance is. Every year, Chinese will pop fire works in front of their retail store to scare away demons that may chase away business. The lion then walks into the store, chasing away the remaining demons that are in the corners, backrooms, etc...etc....then exits to dance in front of fire crackers. In return, the store owner blesses the lion with money, which goes to the local Kung Fu or lion dance association. Yes, it may sound a little silly, but hey, it may just work. Those businesses have not been hurt by this recession!
Anyway, I spent Friday night cruising the streets of Chinatown watching the lions chase the evil anti-money demons from the stores. No, that is not sarcasm there. This is what the purpose of the lion dance is. Every year, Chinese will pop fire works in front of their retail store to scare away demons that may chase away business. The lion then walks into the store, chasing away the remaining demons that are in the corners, backrooms, etc...etc....then exits to dance in front of fire crackers. In return, the store owner blesses the lion with money, which goes to the local Kung Fu or lion dance association. Yes, it may sound a little silly, but hey, it may just work. Those businesses have not been hurt by this recession!
The lion dancers really get close to these fireworks.
The lion dancers are pretty daring. They come within inches, millimeters, to HUGE exploding fireworks. Take note here that these lion heads are made out of paper, and are highly flammable.
Here's some video of some lion dancing I took on my Canon G10.
So what does this have to do with weddings? Well, believe it or not, you can actually get something rather similar done at your wedding. The lions show up, and dance for your wedding, traditionally chasing all the demons away so you'll have a prosperous marriage.
I've seen these dances performed at weddings with and without fireworks. Hmm...I think Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie could have used a couple of these lion dances...haha.
In Hawaii, the City and County closes down almost every street in Chinatown, so tourist and locals can roam. Aside from the lion dancing, there's food booths, fortune booths, and this year....New York style fashion shows? Yes, fashion shows. What in the world do fashion shows have to do with Chinese New Year, especially when their clothing line doesn't reflect anything oriental. Just my opinion....
Well, I'm outta here. Gotta hit the hay. I have a wedding tomorrow...I mean today.
Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Guy
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com
Here's some video of some lion dancing I took on my Canon G10.
Chinese Lion Dancing from Steven Young on Vimeo.
So what does this have to do with weddings? Well, believe it or not, you can actually get something rather similar done at your wedding. The lions show up, and dance for your wedding, traditionally chasing all the demons away so you'll have a prosperous marriage.
I've seen these dances performed at weddings with and without fireworks. Hmm...I think Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie could have used a couple of these lion dances...haha.
That is a full sized lion on that pole, with one guy performing 15 feet above the ground, with no safety harness.
Close up of that guy on the pole
In Hawaii, the City and County closes down almost every street in Chinatown, so tourist and locals can roam. Aside from the lion dancing, there's food booths, fortune booths, and this year....New York style fashion shows? Yes, fashion shows. What in the world do fashion shows have to do with Chinese New Year, especially when their clothing line doesn't reflect anything oriental. Just my opinion....
Well, I'm outta here. Gotta hit the hay. I have a wedding tomorrow...I mean today.
Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Guy
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com
posted by Steve Young @ 3:45 AM
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