Chinese New Year: Why do the lions dance?

CGTN Europe

Dancing lions are roaming London’s streets! 🦁 💃 It’s Chinese New Year, and the traditional ‘lion dance’ is creating quite a buzz. But what’s it all about? CGTN’s Michael Marillier went looking for answers.   #2025 #chinesenewyear #london

Transcript

00:00Lions are on the loose in London.

00:03We're here in the heart of Chinatown

00:05for the traditional lion dance ceremony.

00:11These lions go from restaurant to restaurant

00:14and from business to business,

00:17offering blessings and prosperity for the year ahead.

00:22The owners will usually come out and greet them,

00:25perhaps offer them some food in return

00:28for the blessings that they offer for the coming year.

00:32It's a big part of the celebration here in London.

00:36I spoke to one of the performers

00:38and asked him what it means to be part of an event like this.

00:44We have performances throughout the whole year,

00:45but this is like our kind of main one.

00:48And we train every Sunday,

00:51and training is quite intense,

00:53but we love to do it

00:56because we all like to come in together and do the sport together.

00:59Now, the lions are not done yet.

01:03They'll also be performing at Trafalgar Square on Sunday.

01:07They're a big part of that event.

01:10And there's the lion dotting ceremony,

01:13where VIPs and dignitaries will put paint above their eyes

01:18marking the start of the new year.

01:22That is all happening on Sunday,

01:24but right now, these lions are roaring in Chinatown.

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