Chinese New Year

All around the city of Phnom Penh you could hear the drum beat for the Lion dance, celebrating New Year. Two years ago while in Kerching, Malaysia I had I witnessed the lion dance in various shops and our hotel. The Chinese believed the New Year lion dance was like a blessing, a ceremony practiced at the start of the year bringing good fortune to the organisation where it was held. In Phnom Penh the lion dance was held in the streets, more as a celebration of the new lunar year and a public performance. The lion is an agile two man combination, performed on top of pedestals about 1.5 m off the ground. This particular team were very skilled, bounding across the tops of the pedestals, or more spectacularly hosting the head of the lion up onto the shoulders of the second person and then leaping. The music, mostly drums and symbols, sets a beat to wish the lion performs. His head, body and feet moving to the beat,  showing a pensive attitude as he considered and measured the jump to the next pedestal. With leaping bounds he preformed and the crowd gasped and cheered, including one Western admirer in awe of a good street performance.