Fire Dragon Dance

Last Thursday, we went to the Tai Hang neighborhood to see the annual Fire Dragon Dance. By the time we got there, people were lined up three-deep along the streets. Cameras were everywhere. The evening warmed up with some ambulating drums and loud, cacophonous cymbals. It had been advertised that the parade would start at 7:30, but it was well after 8:00 before the dragon made his appearance.

I expected a traditional dragon in which the upper halves of the dragon-bearers are covered by the cloth body of the dragon. This dragon was not like that. Rather, it was a long body made up of dried bundles of dark straw. But what the dragon lacked in girth, he made up for in length. He was almost 200 feet long. It took 32 men to carry him.

The head of the dragon alone weighed over 100 pounds. A small army of local men remained close to the individual carrying the head. One at a time, the young men would step up to take a turn carrying the head. Each volunteer lasted less than thirty seconds before he had to be relieved. The men did not simply carrying the head, but were running it from one side of the street to the other so that it looked as if the dragon was roaring at the gathered crowd. The men appeared to be competing with each other to see who could expend the greatest burst of energy in order to bring the dragon to life.

Sticking out of the dragon’s back were thousands (65,000 to be exact) smoldering joss (incense) sticks that filled the streets with a thick, aromatic smoke.

Over 100 years ago, before this village of Tai Hang was absorbed into Hong Kong and become just another of her neighborhoods, Tai Hung was struck with a string of calamities including a plague. Buddha appeared in a dream to one of the village elders, instructing the villagers to light firecrackers and perform a fire dragon dance for three days and nights during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is exactly what the villageres did, the plague ended and the villagers have been performing the fire dragon dance ever since.

After the dragon had passed by us twice, we decided we wanted to beat the crowds and so we slipped out while the merriment was in full swing.

Now I just need to buy a mooncake and my Mid-Autumn will be complete.

-Jack