Happy Chinese New Year! Part 2 of 2 (Dial-up warning - 6 pics)

Here's the second part of my Chinese New Year parade photos. This one is focused on the lions. For more info on the lion dance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_dance. In many of the photos, you'll notice there are numerous people with the same pants as the performers. It's quite a tiring job so they frequently swap in and out. There are usually at least 4 people for each lion.

This shot is actually from just before the parade started. The performers are warming up, I guess.




Pulled along just behind the lion is the cart (which you can see a portion of) that contains the large drum that helps the performers maintain a beat. These drums are similar to taiko drums. If you've never experienced these in person, they have a deep booming sound that reverberates through you.


Don't ask... I don't know. First time I've seen this costume.


Here's one with a lion in for foreground and a dragon in the background. Many people mistake the lion for a dragon the first time they see it. Guess that has a lot to do with the Chinese dragon being so prominent while the lion is really only seen during New Year's celebrations.


And finally, a red lion. There was a black one but I didn't get a photo of it. There's all sorts of colours for the lions but the main ones this year were gold, silver, red, and black.

when not tired and blurry eyed to look again. Wanted to tell you number 4 that you never saw before look like Chinese Guardian Lions. Statues that guarded entrances. Would be in pairs, male and female.

That makes some sense. I'm definitely familiar with the guardian lions. I guess I was just thrown off because I've never seen anyone dressed as one.

But they do remind me of them. Love all the photos and all the information you are giving with them. You can't tell us too much.

fun to photo too! Very colorful lively pics. One day I'd like to see a parade such as this one. Nothing that spectaular around here.

Over the past couple decades, the Chinatown in Vancouver has been in decline, mostly due to a lot of the Chinese population moving into the suburbs and the build-up of the cultural and business centers in those areas, especially Richmond (directly south of Vancouver), which is considered by some as the new Chinatown. The parade is still held in the Chinatown in Vancouver. The other areas have celebrations in the malls but it's definitely not the same as the parade. I've heard they have an audio system (presumably with subwoofer) that plays the sound of the firecrackers but I can't see any way for that to come close to the real thing.
One thing quite a few people who go to see it don't realize is that there's actually two stages to the celebration. The first is the parade, which lasts a little over an hour. A lot of people disperse at this point. The second part comes 30-45 minutes later. At a lot of the shops, you'll see a head of lettuce (romaine) and a red envelope. You can see one in the fourth photo in the this thread (upper right, just to the right of the red lamp post) and in the last photo of the other thread (again, on the right side of the photo). They'll get several lions going around and doing a lion dance in front of those shops, eventually grabbing the lettuce and envelope (and "spitting" the lettuce back out). I didn't get any decent shots of that portion, though. The movements were too quick so the shots didn't turn out (or they weren't good photos). Here's the best of those shots. The performer's lining up for a grab at the lettuce you can see hanging above the door. (He missed the first and second time - third time was the charm.)



The parade happens the Sunday immediately following Chinese New Year. So, if you're ever in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada, not Washington) at that time, get your camera and head to Chinatown. (If you show up a bit early, you can grab some pastries from the bakeries before the parade. (They're busy before the parade, a complete zoo after.)

(Sorry for the extensive babbling.)

Although Vancouver's Chinatown is in decline, you truly are lucky to live in an area with such diverse cultures.

The colors are vibrant and the shots are alive and tell the story along with your descriptions.
Thanks for these!

I guess it's time for me to visit my favorite Chinese food place. :)

And yes, what wonderfully colorful photos.

Is that clear? :)

I really like all the bright colors.