Chinese Dragon Tattoo Head Dance Symbol Drawing Pictures Parade Costume Mask Images: Chinese New Year Dragon Chinese Dragon Tattoo Head Dance Symbol Drawing Pictures Parade Costume Mask Images

Tuesday 8 April 2014

Chinese New Year Dragon Chinese Dragon Tattoo Head Dance Symbol Drawing Pictures Parade Costume Mask Images

Chinese New Year Dragon Biography

Source(google.com.pk)

Dragons are of course legendary animals, but they are important to Chinese people who think of dragons as helpful, friendly creatures. They are linked to good luck, long life and wisdom. They are nothing like the fierce, fire-breathing Western dragons that carry off princesses and eat people. Chinese Dragons are associated with storm clouds and life-giving rain. They have special powers so they can fly in the air, swim in the sea and walk on land. The Dragon has features of other animals such as the horns of a stag, the scales of a fish and the footpads of a tiger.

Dragon dances are performed at New Year to scare away evil spirits. During the dance the performers hold poles and raise and lower the Dragon. Sometimes one man has a 'Pearl of Wisdom' on a pole and he entices the Dragon to follow him to the beat of a drum, as if searching for wisdom and knowledge.

Dragons used in Dragon dances vary in length from a few metres to up to 100m long. Longer Dragons are thought to be more lucky than shorter ones. The dances can be performed either during the day or night, but at night a blazing torch will be carried to light the way.

Like the Lion Dance, the Dragon Dance is one of the most anticipated events of the traditional Lunar New Year celebrations. While it is not to be confused with the Lion Dance, the Dragon Dance is also performed on auspicious occasions and wards off evil spirits and welcomes good fortune.

The dragon has long been revered in Chinese culture as a benevolent creature, despite its fierce appearance. In feudal times, the dragon was thought to be the god of rain, thunder, stars and rainbows. Over the course of centuries, the image of the dragon evolved, becoming ever more beautiful and mighty yet it has always retained its gentle demeanor. Today, the dragon symbolizes power, dignity, wealth and respect.

The costume is a dragon’s head and its long serpent-like body that the dancers hoist up and animate using attached wooden poles. The longer the dragon, the more luck it is thought to bring. The dragons can be anywhere from 80 to 200 feet long and require as many as 100 dancers to carry it. Traditionally, the Dragon Dance costume was made from bamboo hoops and wooden poles. Today, lighter weight materials, like plastic, are used to construct the frame, which is then covered in rich fabrics and festooned with lights, feathers, and other festive details.

The colors of the dragons import their own significance: green is symbolic of a rich harvest; yellow of the empire; gold and silver for prosperity; and red for good fortune and joyfulness.

the Dragon Dance is performed in time with drums, cymbals, and gongs. Precise timing and excellent teamwork are required to bring the beloved dragon to life. Kung Fu practitioners are often chosen for their level of fitness, agility, acrobatics, and skill with weapons, which allows them to manipulate the poles of the dragon effectively. To bring the dragon to life, the dancers make the dragon’s body undulate, as though it were swimming or flying. Their creativity and skill is then expressed through dazzling acrobatics, featuring corkscrews and spirals, the dragon swirling back on itself and ducking through the spirals, and lifts to elevate the dragon’s head higher into the sky. The traditional patterns performed during a Dragon Dance include: Cloud Cave, Whilrpool, Trheading the Money, Dragon Encircling a Pillar, and Searching For the Pearl. Searching for the Pearl is usually led by a man who has a ball (“the pearl of wisdom”) on a stick. This pattern symbolizes the dragon’s endless pursuit of wisdom and enlightenment. During Chinese New Year the ball is often a red globe, which signifies the sun. Combining their formidable artistic and athletic ability, the dancers bring the dragon to life, inspiring the same awe in onlookers that the dragon has for centuries.