Ever wonder why businesses and establishments have lion and dragon dance performances during Chinese New Year?
In Chinese culture, the lion represents luck, strength, superiority, and stability, while the dragon is a symbol of wisdom, excellence, wealth, and power. Dances are performed for both as a means to welcome prosperity while chasing away evil spirits.
The two auspicious creatures take centerstage during Lunar New Year celebrations, with many businesses ensuring to begin the year on a prosperous note.
Chinese culture is filled with celebrations and holidays, and among them, the Lunar New Year is the biggest and most important one.
Lion dance is normally performed by two dancers, while a dragon dance usually has more performers holding the pole of the creature’s head and body.
SM Megamall welcomed the Year of the Rat with cultural performances and meet-and-greet experiences with arguably the most famous mouse couple, Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, at the Mega Fashion Hall.
The festivities at the mall began with the traditional dragon and lion dances.
Mall-goers also had the rare opportunity to watch a performance of the magical Bian Lian or face-changing mask dance.
Bian Lian is a traditional Chinese act performed by a solo dancer wearing brightly colored costumes and beautifully painted masks. The performer changes from one face to another with a wave of the hand, a movement of the head, a peek under the coat, or a hand gesture from an audience.
Mickey and Minnie dressed in cheongsam or Chinese traditional outfits led a series of meet-and-greet sessions beside a centerpiece with large mouse ears and red and gold lanterns and scrolls.
Meanwhile, over in Parañaque City, Duty Free Fiestamall was visited by a lion and dragon for the eye-dotting ceremony, which, according to experts, gives them the spirit.
Duty Free Philippines Corporation chief operating officer Vicente Pelagio Angala, deputy chief operating officer Bernardine Belmonte, store operations manager Monica Ruffy, and chief of staff Grace Malabed led the traditional celebrations.
The shopping center also invited feng shui expert Patrick Lim Fernandez to share with guests feng shui traditions and best practices to achieve happiness and prosperity in the Year of the Metal Rat.
In addition to the festive holiday celebrations at the Fiestamall, shoppers were also treated to discounts up to 30 percent on a wide variety of items.
“DFPC welcomes the year with optimism that we will sustain our positive business performance. We aim to further expand our market reach with the opening of new duty free stores and expansion of our merchandise lineup,” said Angala.