Members of Success Lion Dance Troupe will be part of an upcoming celebration marking Chinese New Year.The lion dance parade is being revived after a four-year absence.
A pride of bright, bearded lions strung with beads and feathers will be dancing through the heart of Chinatown on Jan. 25 to ring in the Year of the Ox.
The celebration is part of a new collective effort by Chinatown businesses to remind residents and visitors of Asian heritage.
In Centretown, dancers of all ages from Success Lion Dance Troupe will bring the ancient Chinese tradition to life.
According to the troupe coordinator, Tony Fan, the lions will greet all of the businesses they pass and bring them prosperity in the New Year. The lion dance is meant to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune to everyone it visits. It is typically practised to bring good luck at the beginning of the Chinese New Year and grand openings of businesses.
The Somerset Street Chinatown business improvement area is reviving the lion dance parade after a four-year break as part of a new vision for the Chinatown area, says executive director Grace Xin. The new vision is to make the area a “hub of commercial, social and cultural activities,” she says.
The large number of arts and culture celebrations the association has slated for this year aim to achieve that vision and establish Chinatown as a destination on the Ottawa tourism circuit. Local businesses are on board with the project.
“I’m 100 per cent behind it,” says Donald Kwan, owner of Shanghai Restaurant, “It’s the best thing for this area and the restaurant.” Kwan’s family restaurant has participated in many lion parades over its nearly 40-year history on Somerset Street. The surrounding area has seen some major changes since the restaurant opened in 1971. But Kwan believes the association’s new focus on arts and culture will be a big boost to the area.
“These festivals are going to reflect all the energy and vibrancy that already exists in the community and bring it to the surface,” Kwan says. “It’s going to encourage people to come down; it will generate walking traffic and create an artistic colourful attraction.”
At 11:30 a.m. on Chinese New Year’s Eve, Jan. 25, the lions will begin their dance on Preston Street and weave their way down the north sidewalk of Somerset Street. Once the parade reaches Bay Street it will turn back and bring good luck to the stores on the south sidewalk of Somerset.
The lion dance marks the beginning of a new year in Chinatown filled with cultural celebrations that businesses can count on to bring in new customers, the BIA says.
“When it is a better neighbourhood you have happier customers, it will be easier to get employees and property values will increase,” says Xin.