At the commencement of a new year, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, a ceremony officiating the start of the year at the place of business ensures a fruitful year ahead.
This is one of the more interesting ceremonies to be a part of because of the lion dance. The usual tribute is paid to the gods by the offering of incense sticks and pouring of tea at the altars. It is then followed by a traditional lion dance where the lions will also pay tribute to the gods by offering “gold” in the form of mandarin oranges.
The reason behind the use of mandarin oranges is because the name of mandarin in Chinese sounds very similar to the word “gold”. By offering these oranges, it represents the offering of gold.
The lions then dance around the factory, blessing it by laying out mandarin oranges on each significant part of the factory, namely, the machines and the office. Then they bless the main entrance before commencing a final dance that displays the agility and skills of the lion dancers. They leap precariously from pole to pole to reach their just rewards, providing a spectacular dance performance for all to see.
The festivities end in the usual manner - the consumption of food. During Chinese New Year, a special dish called “Yee Sang” is very popular. A variety of ingredients including, fish, crackers, ginger and radish are mixed together with a plum sauce. The action of mixing the ingredients is called “loh” and the higher you “loh” the ingredients, the better will be your chances of prosperity or receiving your desires during the year.
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