In the daytime of the Festival, performances, such as a dragon dance, lion dance, yangge dance, stilt-walking and shehuo show, will be also staged.
Dragon dance was originally a dance to please the dragon, and pray for rain during heavy droughts. Gradually it became an entertainment for festive occasions, most popular on the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival days, believed to bring bumper harvests, good luck and prosperity. Dragons, ranging from several meters to more than 100 meters in length, are made from light materials such as bamboo, wood, rattan, cloth and paper. The longer a dragon is, the more performers there are. With poles attached to the belly of the dragon, performers hold the poles and raise the dragon, dancing to the beats of roaring drums. There’s always a man raising a ball at the front to entice the dragon to the rhythm.
In South China’s Guangzhou City, the Lantern Festival is marked with series of jolly activities, in which the lion dance always attracts the biggest audience. The dance is believed to bring luck and ward off evil spirits. The “lion” makes dramatic movements to the rhythm of drums and gongs, imitating the habit of lions, such as licking hair, shaking hair, kicking the feet and wallowing.
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