Owning your rituals

I was recently commenting on a Lion Dance discussion panel on Facebook regarding the touching of the lion's horn. I threw in my two sense, that though impractical there wasn't anything against it. But then there were others of a tradition who were strongly against it. Though we never touch the horn, it was never seen as something as stepping over the tail. But the discussion made me go back into my mind to remember a story of the opening I shared.

My Si Hing was going over different ways you can open with the lion. One is to kick the head over yourself. and one was actually to grab the head by the horn and through it over yourself. My Si Hing had seen this done by old school people while still in China. And now I recall that my Sifu actually did mention not to touch the horn. The reason why I didn't first remember it was because he didn't make a big deal out of it. He didn't start yelling like, "Hey! don't touch the horn!"

It was more softly like, "When you perform don't touch the horn. Some people don't like it," Not we don't like it, "they say that the horn was put back on by Kuan Yin and they think that's what the ribbons signify." The red ribbons that are not only on the lion, but also on altars and the Tiger fork and are bought in the supermarket.

Now let me point something out. My Sifu does not speak English. and even in China he was considered the epitome of Traditionalism. A throw back, A counter revolutionary. In fact he had to pay for his traditionalist thinking.

That being said, at least part of him, when it came to lion dance, was somewhat open minded. For instance, his daughter was watching woman's team perform a dragon dance and saw them step over the dragon in their routine. Something which is now common in China.
"Who wants to see a woman straddle a dragon on New Year's" his daughter cried out.

But later, my Sifu mentioned that before in his village that was unheard of. But here in this environment and even in China, people's mentality are different and would not consider it a bad thing. And that the rules are dictated by the majority of people's beliefs. In fact many times, when we followed all these rules, he always said that we would just make sure we followed them, but not thrust them onto others.

In any case the story of Kuan Yin re-attaching the horn, is to be respected depending on your audience, and since it is an easy rule to follow (don't touch the horn) it might as well be followed. But not because you have to, more just to make people who you are performing for happy. But if it makes you unhappy to follow a rule, then of course you should just do what you want After all you are the one performing.