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A sensual dance with simple choreography, it is traditionally performed around a bonfire. 

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A sensual dance with simple choreography, it is traditionally performed around a bonfire. 

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Seychelles

Inscribed in 2021 ( 16.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

© National Heritage Research and Protection Section, Seychelles, 2016

Moutya was brought to Seychelles by the enslaved Africans who arrived with the French settlers in the early eighteenth century. They used to practise this dance at night in the forest, at a distance from the plantation house where their masters lived. Historically, Moutya was a psychological comfort against hardship and poverty and a means of resisting servitude and social injustice. A sensual dance with simple choreography, it is traditionally performed around a bonfire. The musical instrument used is a large drum with a narrow rim made of goat hide which is played mostly by men. The dance begins with the heating of the drums over a bonfire. Once the drums have been warmed, the drummers set the beat and men in the crowd call out various themes, usually social commentaries, to which the female dancers respond in high-pitched tones. The men and women begin to dance to a moderate tempo involving hip-swaying and feet-shuffling. The dancers come close, but do not physically touch. Moutya continues to be a form of expression of cultural identity to this day, retaining its traditional dance form. It is usually performed spontaneously within the community, as well as at social gatherings and cultural events. Moutya is transmitted informally through performance, observation and imitation and formally through research, documentation and dissemination.

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Moutya was brought to Seychelles by the enslaved Africans who arrived with the French settlers in the early eighteenth century. They used to practise this dance at night in the forest, at a distance from the plantation house where their masters lived.

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Why Drawing a Kolam Is a Perfect Morning Meditation — And How To Do It

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Over a year of lockdown, I fell in love with the meditative yoga of patterns, dots and lines.

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Each winter at the turn of the lunar calendar, the lion dancers put on a lively performance, gamboling about to the beat of pounding drums and crashing cymbals. It's a dazzling spectacle meant to draw in luck and prosperity, and as such, graces celebrations like the Lunar New Year, birthdays, or weddings where Chinese diasporas have landed around the world. Here are nine things you might not know about the ancient tradition.

Lions never historically inhabited China, so how did the felines come to be such a common cultural fixture? Their origin in Chinese culture begins in the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE), when the Silk Road was established to connect China with Europe. Along the way, emissaries from Persian and Central Asian states would gift lions to the Chinese emperor. The popularity of this imperial beast then percolated from the high courts onto the masses. Lions also play an important role in Buddhist mythology, which began spreading throughout China in the late Han Dynasty.

After lions were introduced to the popular imagination, the animal may have been incorporated into the existing traditions of animal pantomimes. Historical records from the Three Kingdoms period (220-289 CE) describe people dressing in lion costumes for Buddhist festivities, and later in the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), the lion dance became a well-documented court festivity.

Although rooted in China, the lion dance has spread across East Asia, with each region adding its own local variations. An array of styles abounds in Japan and Korea. In Indonesia, the lion dancers wear huge fur coats with hefty heads. The white and green snow lion is emblematic of Tibet, while the Fujian province created a demonic green lion to represent the invading Manchurians during the 17th century.

Within China, the lion dance can be broadly divided into Northern and Southern styles. The Northern lion is red and yellow with a shaggy fringe, and is usually performed with a male and female and sometimes little cubs. The Southern lion, originating from the Guangdong province, is the most common type seen on the international stage. They usually come with a fur trim and an array of flamboyant colors, and are further subdivided into the futsan and hoksan styles. The former is meant to look more aggressive and the latter more cat-like and playful.

During the Cultural Revolution, the lion dance was seen as primitive, so the tradition was purged from much of mainland China. The custom, however, thrived in Hong Kong, where students practiced it in martial arts schools. Because the lion dance takes many of its basic stances and movements from kung fu, schools would use it to show off their prowess to rival martial art academies.

Things took a violent turn, however, when martial arts schools began associating with Hong Kong's triads, a local organized crime syndicate. Rival gangs would conceal knives within their costumes to slash at the competition, and performing a lion dance became an excuse to duke out territory disputes. This led to a temporary ban in Hong Kong during the 1970s and '80s. Now, after some reputation management, the lion dance is once again a celebrated custom-assuming you have a permit.

If you want to see the lion dance and martial arts in action, check out Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China III (1992) and Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993), where the Southern Chinese style of lion dance is central to the plot. To check out the Northern style, watch Shaolin Temple II (1984) and Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986). If you're more of a Jackie Chan fan, his early film The Young Master (1980) opens with an iconic lion dance battle.

Martial arts academies were historically fraternities, so women were generally excluded from practicing the lion dance. Since the martial art fraternity paradigm has largely dissolved, dance troupes have gradually warmed to women joining their ranks. Now, there are several women-led lion dance troupes around the world.

In January 2011, the Hong Kong Dragon and Lion Festival Preparatory Committee organized a bonanza with 1111 lions-a total of 2222 performers-dancing in the streets of Hong Kong for the Lunar New Year. It became the largest paired lion dance in history.

Later that year, another record was set when 3971 schoolchildren in Taiwan each donned a lion costume and performed the world's largest singly operated lion dance show.

The lion dance has historically been performed on the ground or in small obstacle courses, with lions leaping up onto chairs, balance beams, or upturned vases in a spectacle of balance and athleticism. This show of acrobatics was turned up a notch when Chinese Malaysians began performing routines on high wooden stilts. In the early '90s, this became a standardized arena of metal poles ranging from 4 to 8 feet in height, and the high pole lion dance as a competitive sport was born.

Performances are scored out of 10. To impress the judges, teams must choreograph a seven-to-10-minute-long routine where they leap between poles while performing acrobatic stunts. The most prestigious international competition has been held every other year in Malaysia's Resorts World Genting since 1994. During the 2018 games, 36 different teams competed from 16 countries.

Chinese Malaysians aren't the only performers revamping an ancient tradition. Teams in Singapore and Hong Kong have incorporated LED lights, EDM, and hip hop into their routines. Kwok's Kung Fu and Dragon Lion Dance Team in Hong Kong puts on a show with hip hop dancers clad in Tron-like suits bopping alongside flashy Chinese lions synchronized to EDM.
This story originally ran in 2021; it has been updated for 2022.

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Each winter at the turn of the lunar calendar, the lion dancers put on a lively performance, gamboling about to the beat of pounding drums and crashing cymbals in dazzling spectacle meant to bring luck and prosperity.

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Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are dotted around Japan

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Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are dotted around Japan

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Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

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Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are dotted around Japan-but how are they different?

Pass through to holy ground

All shrines have a torii gate, even if they do not have a main sanctuary housing the spirit of a deity. A torii gate is the boundary line between holy ground and the secular world. Bowing once in front of the torii gate is the correct-if not always practiced-way to enter. It is customary not to walk through the gate directly in the exact center. Walk through a little to the left or right of the center path.

Purify your hands and mouth

At the temizuya water pavilion located inside the shrine's grounds, purify your body and mind with water before proceeding to stand in front of the deity. Scoop up water with the provided ladle and rinse your hands and mouth following the steps below (one scoop covers all three steps):

First, scoop up water in a ladle with your right hand and pour water over your left hand.

Next, hold the ladle with your left hand and pour water over your right hand.

Finally, pour some water from the ladle into your left hand, rinse out your mouth, and spit the water out beside the fountain. Never touch the ladle directly to your mouth.

Bowing, clapping and praying

Once you reach the altar, quietly throw a coin into the offering box.

Ring the bell to greet the deity.

Clap your hands twice, expressing your joy and respect towards the deity.

Say a prayer with your hands still together.

A place of peace, incense, and purification

Temples are not as strict as shrines in terms of prayer ritual. However, please behave in a calm and respectful manner. If a temple has a temizuya, purify your hands and mouth in the same way you would at a shrine and head to the altar.

Many temples have incense (osenko)-you can purchase a bundle by putting a coin in the offering box. After lighting the incense and extinguishing the flame by waving your hand (rather than blowing it out with your mouth), put it in the incense burner and join your hands in silent prayer. You may see many visitors fanning smoke towards their bodies, which is believed to have healing powers. There is no need to clap your hands.

Be respectful

You may be required to take off your shoes when entering temple buildings. Leave your shoes on the shelves at the entrance or take them with you in plastic bags provided at some temples. Don't forget to wear a good pair of socks. Watch out for signs where photography is forbidden inside temples.

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Shrine and Temple Traditions | Guide | Travel Japan (Japan National Tourism Organization)

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Learn the key differences between Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan, customs and manners, how to pray, and how to make the most of your visit.