Blessing The Southern Kung Fu Lions
Column by Grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong
INSIDE KUNG-FU MAGAZINE
May 2004 Issue
Lion dancing in Southern China originally served as political act of
defiance by revolutionaries against the Manchurian government of the Qing
dynasty (1644-1911). The Chinese also believed that this colorful dancing
custom could ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to their lives.
To make the creature effective and activate its magical powers, a Taoist
priest must first bless a new lion. In Chinese this blessing ceremony is
called the opening the light ceremony or ?kai guang? (in Cantonese, ?hoi
gwong?). In the early days, a kung-fu sifu had to hire a priest to come to
his kung-fu studio to perform the kai guang ceremony. In some areas of China
it was difficult to arrange a priest visit; therefore, the kung-fu master
invited the most senior member of the village to perform the kai guang for a
brand new lion. In return for the blessing, the priest or the village chief
always received a red envelope after the ceremony. tradition was that the
red envelope must have money in it. The Chinese believed that if no red
envelope was given or if the envelope was empty, it would bring bad luck to
both the host and the performer.
Today, kai guang can he performed by anyone with a high standing in the
community. This can be the most senior person of the kung-fu system, a
celebrity or any honorable person. Many honored guests may be invited to the
ceremony, but it is acceptable for just one person to do it.
The materials necessary for the ceremony include: one Chinese red bow with
ribbons; one pair of Chinese golden paper flowers (you can buy these two
from any feng shui supply shop in Chinatown); ginger root; a new Chinese
writing brush; and a small container of ?zhu sha? or red cinnabar powder.
The cinnabar powder is the main ingredient for the ceremony. Many Chinese
believe that this red mineral powder has the energy to ward off evil spirits
or any lurking demons. As matter of fact, most feng shui display objects are
dusted with cinnabar powder during their kai guang.
However, cinnabar powder is not easy to get. Because cinnabar contains
mercury, the Chinese herbal shops are no longer allowed to sell it. Perhaps
if you send a Chinese friend who can speak good Chinese and explain to the
herb shop manager that is not for medicinal proposes and it?s for kai guang
usage, you might have a chance to obtain some. All you need is about one
teaspoon of this red magical powder to dot the eyes of the lion. To prepare
for this, you must cut a sunken spot on the ginger root about the size of
the teaspoon to hold the red cinnabar powder. Mix the red powder with little
bit of water to be used for the ceremony.
The procedure for the kai guang is; first put the new lion in front of the
kung-fu school?s altar of the past masters. It is best to put it on top of a
small table or stance.
Then:
1. Light three sticks of the incense.
2. Pay respect to the past masters by bowing three times.
3. Tie the red bow with ribbon to the horn of the lion.
4. Hang the paper golden flowers to both sides of the horn.
5. Use the brush to dip some red liquid of the cinnabar from the ginger root
to dot both eyes, nose, ears, tongue, horn and the tail of the lion.
Now, the lion dancers can pick up the lion and do the dancing. It?s good to
include traditional lion dancing music with the drum, cymbals and gong to
complete the ceremony.
If the ceremony is performed in public or at a kung-fu exhibition, the lion
dancers should sit on the ground with the lion outfit over them. You can
invite one person to tie the red ribbon with the bow, one person to hang the
paper flowers, and one person to dot the eyes and other places. As soon as
the dotting is complete, the performance of the lion dancing can begin.
Because cinnabar is painted upon the lion?s eyes, the kai guang ceremony is
sometimes known as the dotting the eyes ceremony.