无醒狮，不春节！佛山醒狮霸气登场，双狮戏球大拜年 | Lion Dance

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=t0554z5aoe8&width=500&height=375&auto=0

"In Guangdong Province, almost every village has its own lion dance troupe. When I was a child, I looked forward to the dance every year."

“在广东，几乎每个村都有自己的舞狮队。小时候，每年都期待过年看舞狮。”

The third day of the lunar year is called "Xiao Nianzhao" (the day to worship gods), and is also known as the Grain's Birthday. It is when the Cantonese pray for harvest with lion dances.

正月初三，不仅是“小年朝”、“谷子生日”，也是广东醒狮祝祭祈年的好日子。

Zhong Daoren is the head of the Bei Lun Tong lion dance troupe of Diejiao, Guangdong. He started learning the dance about 50 years ago.

广东佛山南海叠滘比麟堂醒狮团团长钟道仁跟着师傅学舞狮，至今已大概五十多年。

Lion dance is one of the traditional customs during the Spring Festival.

在广东，舞狮不仅是传统的过年习俗之一，更有着极为广泛的群众基础。

Data shows that since 1978, there have been over 1,800 lion dance troupes in the 17 counties and towns of Nanhai District, Foshan City. The Cantonese lion dance has the awe-inspiring appearance of a real lion. With rousing drumbeats, it is known as the "Awaken Lion" or "Southern Lion."

数据显示，自改革开放以来，仅广东佛山南海地区的17个县镇，便有1800多个醒狮队。广东舞狮因其威猛粗犷、讲究神似，鼓乐激昂、令人警醒，故称“醒狮”，也称“南狮”。

In history, all the lions in China were imported from Western countries. As the "Book of Han: Volume 96" says – "Since then… elephant, lions, canines and peacocks were kept in the parks. All kinds of exotic animals swarmed in from outside the Han territory."

历史上，中国不产狮子，狮子是西域传来的舶来品。据《汉书·西域传》记载，“自是之后，钜象、狮子、猛犬、大雀之群食于外囿。殊方异物，四面而至。”

With the introduction of Buddhism, the lion dance was known by the Han people as a kind of Buddhist ceremony. In the Tang dynasty (618-907), it became a performance for the imperial court. Since then, it was confined to the palace from the public until the start of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), it was introduced to Lingnan Region (now referred to as the area of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Provinces). From then on, it emerged as an important part of the folk activities.

随着佛教传入中国，舞狮作为一种佛事也进入到汉族地区。到唐代，舞狮演变为一门宫廷技艺；元代之前，舞狮一直被宫廷垄断，民间极为少见。至明代，舞狮技艺传入岭南（ 44 33737 44 14939 0 0 3459 0 0:00:09 0:00:04 0:00:05 3458广东、广西及海南全境），并成为民间迎神赛会游艺的重要环节。自此，民间舞狮广泛兴起。

On May 20th, 2006, the "Cantonese Awaken Lion" was approved by the State Council as one of the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

2006年5月20日，经国务院批准，“广东醒狮”被列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。

"'Nian (Year beast in Chinese mythology)' comes out during the Spring Festival, so the lion must look fiercer and mightier."

“过年有年兽出来，（所以）醒狮要比年兽更威猛。”

In the eyes of Zhong, the "southern lion" seems more powerful and has more sophisticated techniques than its northern counterpart.

在钟道仁眼中，南狮造型威猛，制作工艺较之北狮更为考究、复杂。

Firstly, the frame of the head is made of more than 200 bamboo canes.

首先，狮头的骨架需要200多片竹条编制而成。

Secondly, three things are pasted on the lion's fur: cotton gauze, linen paper and laser paper.

其次，皮毛的制作工序细分为“三贴”——依次是：纱布、韧纸、镭射纸。

What’s more, the colored drawings contain profound cultural connotations. For heroes of the Three Kingdoms (220-280), the yellow sword pattern represents the benevolence of Liu Bei, the red blade represents the loyalty of Guan Yu, and the black spear represents the bravery of Zhang Fei.

再次，彩绘工序蕴含着深厚的文化内涵——黄色剑纹代表刘备的仁德，红色刀纹代表关羽的忠义，黑色矛纹代表张飞的英勇……

"Basically, all the lion dancers have to practice martial arts."

“舞狮基本上都有练武。”

Chinese Kung Fu is indispensable for the lion dance.

说到舞狮，一定少不了中国功夫——武术。

Poles for the dance are 2 to 2.5 meters high. Lion dancers are constantly stepping, shifting, dodging, attacking, spinning and leaping, in order to mimic the behavior of the lion. And they are true to life.

醒狮表演要在两米到两米五的桩阵上，通过腾、挪、闪、扑、回旋、飞跃等高难度动作来演绎狮子的喜、怒、哀、乐、动、静、惊、疑八态，表现狮子的威猛与刚劲。

"Hits, strength and souls."

“拳到、力到、心到。”

In Zhong's view, the lion dance means a relentless pursuit of excellence. Only through painstaking efforts, could a dancer reach the state of "unity between man and lion," and portray the wildness and loveliness of the beast.

在钟道仁看来，舞狮是一个精益求精的过程。只有苦练功夫，做到“人狮合一”，方能兼顾威猛与可爱。

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, lion dance troupes are invited to various activities like worshiping ancestors, opening business, resolving conflicts and improving relations. The performance has strict rituals.

大年初三，不论是拜年祭祖、开盘迎客，还是化解乡里矛盾、增进情感，广东醒狮的每一场表演都有一套严格的礼仪制度。

"Lion dancing is just like living. You feel upset with problems, and are happy solving them."

“舞狮就像人生。遇到问题时会忧愁，解决问题时会开心。”

The “Awaken Lion" for the Spring Festival brings people not only liveliness and happiness, but also prosperity and good luck.

醒狮闹新春，不仅给人们带来了热闹与快乐，更带来了享不尽的瑞气和吉祥。

阅读更多相关故事

过年喽

Cameraman: Li Fei 

Film editor: Yang Yue, Liu Yuelong

Story written by: Xiao Qiong

English editor: Bertram Niles

— END —

往期链接：

Suggestions and Cooperation

请读者广提建议，您的建议很重要

投稿与合作：[e-mail]