In early celebration of the Chinese New Year (year of the dragon!), both of our neighborhood libraries will host lion dancers this Saturday, along with martial arts demonstrations.
From 12:30pm until 1pm, the Richmond Branch Library located at 351 9th Avenue will hold their performance. The program will take place on the lawn on the 10th Avenue side of the building.
Then from 1:30 until 2pm, the dancers will make an appearance at the front steps of the Anza Branch Library, located at 550 37th Avenue near Geary.
The performers are from the San Francisco Jing Mo Athletic Association. Here’s a little history on the tradition from their website:
The first lion dance can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 221 A.D.). The idea for calling the animal a“lion” probably originated from China’s commercial ties with Persia, which sent these animals as gifts to the emperor. It was said that the creature appeared at New Year and made a noise sounding like the Chinese word for“year.” The people made their own version of the animal to scare it away, and since that time, it has become the custom to send off the old year and welcome in the new year with the lion, accompanied by loud, percussive music. Today, the lion is used to scare evil spirits away and is now a quintessential part of a true Chinese celebration.
Read more about the traditional lion dance
Sarah B.