The
Chinese people from the beginning of time had
shown a remarkable ability to understand the intricate
working of nature and the relationship between
rain and oceanic wind pattern. They know that
water vapor were originated from the sea and endowed
the dragon with rain making ability. Chinese dragon
is compassionate in their spirit and benefits
the people - contrasting to the western myth of
a cold vicious lizard-like dragon.
Legends
in China described the dragon as an extraordinary
animal with fish scales and long beards. As time
went on, it became more and more embellished in
the minds of the people, acquiring the antlers
of the deer, the mane of the horse and the claws
of the eagle - in short, appropriating the distinctive
features of other creatures until it became what
we see today.
The
Dragon is an amphibian, able to move on land,
able to fly in the sky and able to swim in the
sea. As the dragon gives people a feeling of great
respect, it is often called the Sacred Dragon.
The emperors of ancient China considered themselves
as the dragon, the emblem of Imperial Authority.
The appearance of the dragon is frightening but
it has a benevolent temperament. It symbolizes
supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance
and dignity.
The
Chinese who have shown great belief and respect
towards the mystical animal started the dragon
dance. Dragon Dance has spread throughout China
and to the whole world. It becomes a special performance
of arts in the Chinese physical activities. It
symbolizes the bringing of good luck and prosperity
in the year to come for all the human beings on
earth. According to ancient history, during the
period of Chun Chiu, the learning of Chinese Martial
Arts was very popular and in the spare time, dragon
dance was also being taught to students to provide
more encouragement.
The
size and length of a dragon depends on the human
power available, financial power, materials, skills
and size of the field. Present day dragons come
in various lengths and sizes. The earlier dragons
followed standard of nine sections. Nowadays,
the dragons can be of eleven, thirteen, fifteen,
or even more than twenty sections. However, the
longer or bigger the dragon, the harder it is
to manipulate. History tells us that the performances
of dragon dance are in various different ways,
types and colors. Green is selected as the main
color of the dragon, which symbolizes great harvest.
Other colors include: yellow symbolizing the solemn
empire, golden or silver colors symbolizing prosperity,
red color representing excitement while its scales
and tail are mostly beautiful silver colors and
glittering at all times which provides a feeling
of festive atmosphere.
