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Tourism Malaysia

The Dance of Prosperity

Both traditional dances are, however, performed spontaneously to the highly-entertaining beat of cymbals and gongs with the aim of chasing away negative spirits and keeping bad omens at bay.

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The dragon’s head alone can weigh up to 15kg!

The dragon is traditionally built of wood, and the interior is assembled with bamboo hoops, covered with a rich fabric. These days though, lighter materials like aluminium and plastics are used, as even the head could weigh up to 15kg! Apparently, the longer the creature, the more blessings it would shower upon the people.

Regarded as bestowing prosperity, luck, wisdom and fertility to people, the dragon has long been a symbol for great power, of royal authority. Even some of the ancient China Emperors regarded themselves as the mythical creature!

Legend has it that the dragon dance was part of the farming and harvesting culture. There are also claims that the dance performance is part of the ritual for healing and preventing illnesses.