Lion dance urges Tet

 There is one month left before the Tet holidays. There are many images which symbolize Tet such as yellow apricot in the South, peach blossom in the North and banh tet (glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and pork fat), especially lion dance. Traditionally, people believe the lion dance will bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.
The atmosphere at Hang Anh Duong Lion Dance Center is busy and animated. The sound of drums and gongs resound through the spacious yard where 40 athletes painstakingly practice. Some practice martial arts, some drill with swords and some dance on pillars which are about 2.5 meters high.
Practices sometimes are dangerous, especially dancing on the pillars. These athletes need to be trained to protect themselves and to react well to unexpected problems. There are also thick cushions on the ground to protect them when they fall.
“The lion dance troupe performs during the inaugurating of companies, launching events and even in music shows. During Tet, the troupe has to give more shows as ordered and has to make up new performances, nicer, more meticulous, bringing a cozy and bustling ambiance for Tet,” said Luong Tan Hang, head of the troupe.
The Nhon Nghia Duong Lion Troupe, established in 1937, is considered the oldest lion troupe in HCMC. “In the past, we only performed in the Mid-Autumn Festival and Tet, but since 2005, we have performed almost year round as the traditional activity is not blurred in the modern times but has developed more strongly,” said Luu Hoan Phi, head of Nhon Nghia Duong.
This year is the year of the Tiger, so the troupe has created and practiced many performances recalling images of the tiger, promising to bring many big surprises for locals and tourists. Thanks to restless creativeness and diligence, the troupe has been invited to perform in Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China and Japan.
Apart from the Hang Anh Duong and Nhon Nghia Duong lion dance troupes there are about 30 other lion dance troupes in Saigon. Every evening, they make people eager to welcome Tet by peals of drums and steps of dances in an animated ambiance.
They do it not only for the money but also to preserve tradition.