If you’ve experienced anything remotely close to a Chinese New Year celebration, chances are you’ve seen some form of lion dancing.
Traditionally, lion dancing is done on the first day of the lunar new year and it’s meant to bring good luck and fortune. On other special occasions, it’s used to show respect and well wishes for the guests of honor.
These dances begin with the guest of honor painting the eyes of the lions to bring them to life. Then the performers do an impressive routine that usually involves feeding the lion lettuce, which the lion promptly spits back out. Why lettuce and why the spitting? Well, the Chinese word for lettuce sounds similar to the word for “wealth,” so when the lion eats the wealth and spits it at the audience, it’s effectively an offering of prosperity.
With all these lion dances, the performers will move around the establishment so it’s best to show up a bit earlier. The lions wait for no one!
Here’s where you can see lion dancing this Chinese New Year.
Indigo Mall
There will be multiple lion dancing parades taking place in Indigo Mall this year. The lions will be traveling all over the mall, blessing visitors and stores with good fortune for the coming year. The parades starts at 2pm each time. Follow the noise and the crowd to find the lions.
Dates:
Jan 22
Jan 23
Jan 24
Jan 26
Find it:
18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路18
EAST Beijing
EAST Beijing has arranged for the lions to visit twice this year, blessing each of the hotel’s outlets with a traditional lettuce catching and dancing.
Dates:
Jan 22 at 2.15pm
Jan 23 at noon
Find it:
22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路22号
JEN Beijing
In the center of the CBD, JEN Beijing’s lions will be blessing our favorite venues with warm wishes. Guests are welcome to attend and acquire some of the lions’ good luck for the new year. This lion dancing parade starts early and will be traveling to different floors of the hotel.
Date:
Jan 22 from 9.28am to11.28am
Find it:
1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街1号
The Peninsula Beijing
If you’re in Dongcheng District, The Peninsula Beijing has a lion dancing planned a few days into the Chinese New Year holidays. The dancing will start right before brunch time, taking place outside the hotel’s main entrance.
Date:
Jan 26 at 10.28am
Find it:
8 Jinyu Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区金鱼胡同8号
Universal Studios
Finally, since Universal Studios opened its doors in Beijing, every holiday they’ve raised the bar for festive performances. This year’s Chinese New Year lion dancing is no different. They’ve created a whole show around it that takes place three times a day. The Spring Blessing Show will feature nine movie characters, 12 dancers, and two festive lions to bless visitors with good wishes for the coming new year.
Dates:
Jan 12-Feb 14
Find it:
Northwest corner, Intersection of Huanqiu Dadao and Yirui Donglu, Tongzhou District
通州区环球大道与颐瑞东路交叉口西北角
Images: Courtesy of organizers, pexels, Mina Yan
