Do the Dragon Dance at the Feast of the Drunken Dragon in Macau

The Feast of the Drunken Dragon has an interesting history. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, villagers of mainland China were attacked with a plague. They called upon the Buddha to protect them, by parading a large statue of the Buddha through village streets. During the procession, a python (believed to have been sent from heaven) blocked their way. A drunken monk is then said to have cut the python into three pieces, and dancing in glee, threw the pieces into the river.

The river water turned red from the python’s blood and then the python is said to have re-emerged from the river and flown in to the skies. This was assumed as a sacred omen, since the python was believed to be a sacred dragon sent from heaven. After this the villagers discovered that the weeds growing in the river had accrued certain medicinal values that could cure plague.

Since then, the Feast of the Drunken Dragon is celebrated in the Chinese cities of Macau, Zhuhai and Zongshan where people dance the ‘drunken dragon dance’, in processions, while drinking and spitting out Chinese rice wine.

In Macau, the Feast of the Drunken Dragon has been regularly held for the past fifty years, on the eight day of the fourth month of the Chinese Lunar calendar. This day also coincides with the birthday of the Buddha and the feast of God Tam Kung. It begins with the traditional Chinese custom of eye-dotting which takes place at the Kuan Tai Temple in Senado Square. After this, the procession progresses to every fresh food market in Macau.

Another tradition during the Feast of the Drunken Dragon involves giving out “longevity rice” in lunch boxes (for free of course). This rice is supposed to give a long life and many offspring to the eater. Such lunch boxes are given out at Iao Hon, Holland Garden, Toi San and Patene along with Red Market and Sao Domingos Food Market.

If you stay at a luxury Macau hotel you can enjoy the festivities of this event first hand. The hotel will arrange all your itineraries if you so require, even allowing you to participate in the celebrations. The Sands Macao Resort Hotel is especially recognized for its concierge services, besides the luxury accommodations and ultra-modern conveniences.

Another Dragon painting in time-lapse. Photoshop CS Wacom Intuos 3 Mac OSX

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