MangoVine - Unicorn taking offering

07 February, 2009
Saturday

The unicorn has been taken out and used this year a few times already when I came across the guys in the village out and about with it again. Its the gongs and cymbals which get my attention in the otherwise peaceful village.

This time, I've caught them taking an offering from one of the houses near the main square and community centre. This video is almost seven minutes long and I think they extended the dance a bit more when changing over but at least you get to see the whole process.

There's a bit of bowing given by the unicorn throughout the dance and they retrieve the red envelope (lai xi) with lettuce midway through. The lettuce and lai xi combo is used with lion dances too.

Lettuce is used because in Chinese, it sounds like the word for born or grow, and so it symbolises the wish for growth in business and family. The lai xi is given as an offering in order to fulfil the wish.

This entry posted in : Culture. Events. Hong Kong. New Territories.

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Unicorn taking offering

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