POMELO "choy chang" Malaysian Lion Dance

[TenTigers]

anyone know the procedure when you get a pomelo as a choi chang?
We do a Malaysain Restaurant, and they place a pomelo on the floor for the Lion to eat. I believe the lion cuts the pomelo skin to open like a flower petal, but not sure if he presents the opened pomelo to the owner, or eats the fruit and gives the peel, or what?

[David Jamieson]

peel the thing, eat/hide the fruit, go back down, take the money and leave the peel. try to peel it so that it looks like a plum flower with the 5 petals.

[TenTigers]

I think I recall peeling it like a flower petal, and NOT eating it, but bringing it to the owner, the same way one brings a live carp. Not sure if he hands it directly to the owner, or places it at his feet. I know when we do the carp, the owner is holding a towel and it is handed to him.

[David Jamieson]

Check out these guys. This is probably the biggest gathering of lion dancers and lion dance experts on the web. Put together and maintained by Chris Low.

I bet they would have the answer.
http://www.geocities.com/lionscave1/?200922

theis article in p[articular talks about the tangerines (not pomellos, but hey, rock and roll right?)

http://www.geocities.com/lionscave1/Articles/Myth.html

I think that if you do something that is standard and traditional, you will be fine. If you worry too much about protocol and such you might rip the fun right out of the lions guts!

[brothernumber9]

If the pomelo is small, perhaps it can be played like a large tangerine. If it is big, I would think it would be similar to how to do a watermelon. The rind is pretty thick, it would be a great show of skill if you could make the lotus arrangement bare handed, or remove just half the rind and present it kind of like a hordevoire (sp?)

[TenTigers]

pomelo is big, like a large grapefruit, and the skin is thick -about 1/2 inch.
There is a specific method that is done in Malaysia, and I was wondering if anyone was familiar with it. It can't simply be ad-libbed.

[David Jamieson]

does this help?

pomelo

from here: someone's blog

tuck a boxcutter knife up inside the head of the lion somewhere. hand it to the tail and he can use it to cut up the pomelo. you will not get the nice cut peel with your hands and you don't want to make a big mess of things.

ASK! if the tradition is to leave it or to give it to the honoured guest or give it to the person who is giving the lai si packet.

[TenTigers]

I like the idea of sitting down and having the tail guy do the carving, while the head is blinking and such. It makes it quicker and livelier. I'm going to show that to my guys tonight.

[David Jamieson]

how'd it go then TT?

[TenTigers]

It went fine! The owner pre-cut the skin! Problem solved! LOL.
But-this guy is very traditional. He wants alot of luck on New Year's, so he had changs EVERYWHERE! There were at least nine hanging all over the restaurant, in addition to two pomelos..
Then, when we do "Fighting Lions" at the end prior to our close, he wanted and extended version, so the Lions were "playing" for about ten minutes!
The whole show was probably a half hour-fourty five minutes,with just two guys per lion (two lions) doing our typical "Iron Man" Lion Dance. Then, we had another show at a different restaurant right after.
At that one, the owner puts the lai-see in the ceiling-15 ft up. So, we stack chair, then table with a chair, so the Lion has to climb up a mountain to get the lai-see.
He puts three, in different parts of the restaurant.
We make it like a little skit-the Dai Tau Faht-buddha brings the Lion over to it, the Lion looks up, and then shakes his head. Then the buddha brings over a chair. The Lion looks at the chair, then the lai-see, then the buddha, and shakes his head. The buddha then brings over the table. Again the lion says, "NO!" Then exasperated, the buddha builds the mountain for the lion, and beckons to the Lion. The Lion looks over the obstacle, and finally nods his head, much to the delight of the Buddha and the crowd.
If we had higher ceilings in our Mo-Kwoon, we would practice towers, but sice we do not, we have to be creative. That, and the entertainment factor for the crowd is important, and many choi chang, for the average audience, it is a slow, ponderous, and very boring production. So we add some flair to it.
At these shows, it is part blessing on the restaurant, part entertainment for the people paying big bucks for a Chinese Banquet and Kung-Fu show.

[brothernumber9]

Sounds like a great experience for your students that did the lion. I am sure they will never forget it, and use it as a measuring stick for the future.

[SleepingDragon]

It went fine! The owner pre-cut the skin! Problem solved! LOL.
But-this guy is very traditional. He wants alot of luck on New Year's, so he had changs EVERYWHERE! There were at least nine hanging all over the restaurant, in addition to two pomelos..
Then, when we do "Fighting Lions" at the end prior to our close, he wanted and extended version, so the Lions were "playing" for about ten minutes!
The whole show was probably a half hour-fourty five minutes,with just two guys per lion (two lions) doing our typical "Iron Man" Lion Dance. Then, we had another show at a different restaurant right after.
At that one, the owner puts the lai-see in the ceiling-15 ft up. So, we stack chair, then table with a chair, so the Lion has to climb up a mountain to get the lai-see.
He puts three, in different parts of the restaurant.
We make it like a little skit-the Dai Tau Faht-buddha brings the Lion over to it, the Lion looks up, and then shakes his head. Then the buddha brings over a chair. The Lion looks at the chair, then the lai-see, then the buddha, and shakes his head. The buddha then brings over the table. Again the lion says, "NO!" Then exasperated, the buddha builds the mountain for the lion, and beckons to the Lion. The Lion looks over the obstacle, and finally nods his head, much to the delight of the Buddha and the crowd.
If we had higher ceilings in our Mo-Kwoon, we would practice towers, but sice we do not, we have to be creative. That, and the entertainment factor for the crowd is important, and many choi chang, for the average audience, it is a slow, ponderous, and very boring production. So we add some flair to it.
At these shows, it is part blessing on the restaurant, part entertainment for the people paying big bucks for a Chinese Banquet and Kung-Fu show.

So how many petals was it precut for? Most times it is for four petals, and is made to represent the lotus. Every formal cheng has a theme. If there is one the owner should tell you if you ask. Other wise what happened and what most people told you to do was pretty much on the money. Pomelo's are a ****nym for the word "to have." Mandarin is pronounced "You." Often times they are used to represent the pearl- like the cheng known as Golden Dragon Enters the Gate (for temples)" or "Golden Dragon Grows Business (for business)." Or the one Called West Lake Pearl.

The reason for making it into a flower is to represent fruition-the reason for the lotus is that even in the dirty murky waters something beatiful and pure can grow, also it has seeds which through word play represents continuity. In other words even in economic times like this the business will continue to thrive and grow.

You still in NY TT? Need to see the CNY festivities there one day, but now afraid to with all the planes crashing in your state .

Maybe next time they'll have the 8 immortals crosses the sea-you will need some drinkers though-haha

[SleepingDragon]

BTW-the Chinese used to use a Chinese coin (the one w/ a square hole in the middle. The edges would be sharpened. A string went through the middle and it was worn around the neck. This was used to help cut the fruits open, it was also was a weapon when lions fought and you couldn't get access to the butterfly knives.

I updated my article on lion dancing and will be updating the article later on the various Chengs later on when time permits. So if you find counting sheeps don't help you get some sleep just read my stuff-haha!


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