The Pearl City Shopping Center (PCSC) celebrated the Chinese New Year on Friday, February 4, 2011 with a traditional Chinese Lion Dance Blessing performed by the Lung Kong Physical Cultural Club.
The Chinese Lion Dance Blessing commenced at 5:45pm at Dave's Ice and ended at the House of Dragon Chinese Restaurant at around 7:30pm. Lion dancers and drummers made their way throughout the Pearl City Shopping Center, stopping at each business, offering blessings for good luck, fresh energy and prosperity in the New Year.
As a part of the traditional Chinese Lion Dance Blessing on Friday at the PCSC, patrons at the shopping center, representing the Pearl City community, also participated in the lion dance blessing with cash donation offerings in return for a prosperous 2011.
Chinese Lion Dance Legend
“According to Chinese folklore, the lion is a mythical, heavenly being who came to earth to replace old, stale and stagnant energy with renewed, fresh and vibrant life energy during special occasions. Chinese New Year is the most celebrated special occasion. The lion is attracted to the place of festivities by the fireworks and lion dancing music (drums, gongs and cymbals). Traditionally, the lion is a heavenly being and therefore vegetarian, hence the lettuce is placed with the donation. The greenery is taken with the donation, chewed and then sprayed back in front of the establishment as a show of “good fortune” it has brought from the “heavens.”