The Lion Dance
Lion dancing is an ancient and integral part of Chinese culture dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-906 A.D.). There are many stories of how it started though rather than relating them all here let me just tell you why we do it today:
The lion dance is performed as a blessing, a ritual for bringing good luck and prosperity and warding off misfortune, bad luck and bad spirits. Commonly done at Chinese New Year it can also be done throughout the year for festivals, parades, weddings and new businesses.
It is seen as a way of testing a martial artists skills, strength and stamina and can lead to generally friendly competition.