TRADITIONAL LION DANCE 2026

 

The traditional lion dance performers were from the Segamat Teng Xiang Association lion and dragon dance group, whose website at Facebook can be viewed HERE. The lion statues positioned at the entrance to the Goddess of Mercy temple remind me of the Lions of the Ancient Khmer empire, which is the title of an article by Rodney Charles LHuillier that can be read at the Hello Angkor website HERE (however, logging into Google is required before one can access that article). China Media Group's Malaysian employee was one of the performers who was selected by CMG to represent Malaysia at China's prestigious New Year Gala. Performers from Vietnam and Kazakhstan were the other countries selected by CMG. The Malaysians performed “Wau Bulan” during the broadcast of the New Year Gala which attracts an annual audience of more than 1.4 billion viewers. You can read about it HERE. The Goddess of Mercy temple in Kampung Abdullah was very lively on the first day of CNY with a pair of lions performing their dance in front of Guan Yin before going all around the temple. My sister and I spent some time at the open house area of the temple, with refreshing cups of tea whilst marveling at their simple yet creative decorations (as pictured below). 

Pink blossoms, kumquats at the steps of the temple around the guardian lion statue

Lettuce on a string together with ang pow for the traditional lion dancers to jump up & retrieve

Smoke from the firecrackers was blown inside the temple by the winds from the incoming rains

The bright red traditional lion costume looks brand new and together with the yellow traditional lion, both bowed (and peeled oranges & pomelos) before the Goddess of Mercy when inside the temple

Lays old-school style of ang pow packets looked really cool to me  

Photo sourced from China Media Group London UK - Paddington Bear holding the Chinese character which symbolizes Prosperity 

Horse-themed cookies made by my sister's friend. 

Ramadhan falls on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year in 2026. The Rakyat Post organized an online contest entitled GONG XI RAMADAN 2026 which you can view HERE and it looks like the internet user has to view each video of the brands to answer the questions. Very clever marketing campaign from these big brands, which consist of a service delivery app (which has acquired a supermarket brand), a developer, a bank and a mineral water brand. An image downloaded from the Rakyat Post's Gong Xi Ramadan microsite depicting the bamboo groves, lanterns and old-school bicycle (as pictured below). 

Chap Gor Mei marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration. This 15th day is also known as the Chinese Valentine Day. Some of the notable events of this day is the tossing of mandarin oranges (scribbled with telephone numbers from the ladies) into pools of water, in which the gentlemen scoop up and lo behold, they can call up the ladies for a meet-up. Tech apps such as Tindr, Bumble (where the women initiate the call), Coffee Meets Bagel etc. are the modern tools used in the western world which somehow lacks the human touch and fun involved in the mandarin oranges tossing tradition.  A mall in Penang is packed with activities in conjunction with Chap Gor Mei which includes this oranges toss into the quay area, which can be viewed HERE.