For the third time at St. George's School the Lunar New Year Celebration was highlighted by a traditional lion dance. The occasion was graced by his Excellency, Bishop Cornelius Sim. Also present were members of the Board of Governors, the Principal, Mr Janidi Jingan and school administrators.
In his welcoming speech, the principal spoke on the celebration of Chinese New Year at school level as being a special day for the school's Chinese community to be able to share the festive merriness with everyone in the school. He also spoke on the Year of the Snake and its significance. Also in his speech, Mr Janidi informed that because the school's population itself is made up of various nationalities, ethnicities and along with it the different beliefs, culture and tradition, it is therefore fortunate that the students could witness and to some extent, participate in major festive celebrations. Mr Janidi expressed his belief that tolerance should be about the respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human as advocated by the United Nations.
The Lunar New Year celebration kicked off with a welcoming dance by a group of secondary students. Invited guests, parents, teachers, students and members of the public were then feted to live performances of Chinese dances and songs performed by students of various races . The spectators were also treated to two Chinese New Year songs melodiously sung by Teacher Alice Ting, the Head of Primary.
Crowds of eager parents, teachers and students waited patiently for the arrival of the lion dance troupe from The Chinese Chamber of Commerce. It was worth their wait as the lion dance troupe displayed some flamboyantly vivid, commanding and energetic performances which saw the lions showing off some extraordinary stunts. The drumming and music kicked into a faster beat as the red, white, yellow and black lions reached out for the green lettuce that were tied to five trees. Each lion then picked up the lettuce in his mouth with a lucky red envelope inside and 'chews' it before spewing out the torn lettuce to spread 'prosperity' to those present. A tray of mandarin oranges and one pomelo was beautifully decorated by the black lion.
Dancing to the merry beat of the drums, the four lions pranced and greeted everyone present. There was great merriment and gaiety as the kindergarten and primary school students danced along with them.
The Chinese lion dancing during this season symbolizes good luck, good fortune, continued success, peace and harmony. The lion is a symbol of bravery and peace to the Chinese and the dance is a unique and integral element of Chinese culture for over a thousand years. It was indeed a thrilling and enthralling performance by the lion dance troupe from The Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
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