Lion Dance Sunday treat

How can a Chinese New Year celebration be complete without a lion dance troupe? Even if they hardly go house to house visit, they should still turn up somewhere to 'cari makan' (look for food), right? Back in KK, the lion dance group members are young recruits because I think the older ones are more sophisticated in thinking. While you get non-Chinese members like Kadazan and other ethnic (dan lain-lain kaum) there, here in San Diego, you see Angmohs/Gweilos (Westerners) performing the dance.

Some business owners would invite the lion dancers to perform at their premises to bring good luck and fortune to their businesses. They would tie a red envelope or angpow filled with money to a head of lettuce and hang it high above he front door. The lion will approach the lettuce like a curious cat, consume the lettuce and spit out the leaves but not the money.

Like last year, we were lucky to get to see this exciting event at a Chinese restaurant (Pearl restaurant) just around the neighborhood. The lion dancers didn't have to deal with firecrackers, to my dismay. It would have been more interesting, muahahaha.