One of the most mesmerising rituals of Chinese New Year is the dragon dance, performed with a fabric dragon puppet that undulates to the rhythm of cymbals and drums.
This ancient art has been an indispensable part of Chinese culture and tradition since the age of the Han Dynasty.
The dragon dance is a symbol of power, wisdom, and prosperity, believed to drive out evil and bring an auspicious start to the new year, often featuring lucky colours such as red, gold, and silver.
It is believed that the longer the dragon puppet, the more luck it would bring, and that the prop is constructed with odd-numbered joints as another element of auspiciousness.
Verdict:
TRUE
According to the National Library Board of Singapore, the dragon puppet used for dragon dances typically ranges between 14m to 54m and is divided into odd-numbered segments of nine, 11, 13, and so forth, depending on the length of the prop.
The longest dancing dragon recorded in the Guinness World Records is a whopping 5,568.46 meters long and it took over 3,000 performers to facilitate the dance.
In Malaysia, dragon dances are most commonly performed with seven or nine-jointed dragons, with nine-jointed dragons conveying longevity due to the number ‘nine’ sounding like the word for ‘eternity’ in Chinese.
Dragon dance troupe members typically take years to perfect their craft before they are ready to perform in public, and many of these performers can be considered professional martial artists or acrobats in their own right.
The jointed segments of the dragon puppet give performers the flexibility to twist and turn the prop sinuously during the performance, mimicking the movements of the mythical Chinese river spirit.
Each routine is meticulously choreographed from start to finish by its troupe, resulting in spectacular visual marvels as the colourful cloth dragon “flies” through the sky in chase of an elusive pearl.
References:
1. https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=848b0702-f59e-4ab6-8dc7-3f7f218131b7
2. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/dragon_dance.htm
3. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/01/26/roaring-demand-for-dragon-dance
4. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-dancing-dragon
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU6HESqnQ_U
