In like a lion: Lunar New Year celebrated in Somerset with lion dancing display

Feb. 5—It's not unlikely to find people line dancing in south-central Kentucky on any given weekend. But lion dancing?

That's exactly what people got to see up close and in vivid colors on Sunday when the River Lotus Lion Dance group visited the Citizens National Bank Pavilion and Lake Cumberland Farmers Market building in downtown Somerset to celebrate the Lunar New Year recognized in Asian traditions.

The event was held and sponsored by the Lake Cumberland Diversity Collective, as well as the Somerset Junior Woman's Club, Somerset Asian Market, and King Buffet Somerset, which provided food for what was a packed room at the pavilion.

Alan Tran, organization leader of River Lotus Lion Dance, noted that the group based in Louisville, Ky., has been active since 2019, bringing cultural traditions of the east to the Bluegrass State.

"Lion dance was started around 2,000 years ago, and it integrated itself into east Asian culture; it was actually imported from Buddhist ideas and some other folk beliefs at the time spread throughout Asia," said Tran.

"The lions that we have (at the event) represent lion species from southern China — the southern Guangdong province, or north Vietnam, that area," said Tran. "The tradition kind of of moved around. They evolved different lion species, so they all looked a little different."

On the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 is the "Year of the Dragon," officially beginning Saturday, February 10 — the Lunar New Year in the calendar used based on the cycle of the moon rather than that of the sun, with which the western world is more familiar.

But River Lotus Lion Dance performs throughout the whole year, noted Tran, at different venues such as private parties or corporate events. And despite it involving a 2,000-year-old tradition, it's become attractive to younger people in the modern world.

"The younger community here have taken some interest in it," said Tran. "They tell their friends, then their friends want to join, and it all just kind of snowballs from there. ... I actually grew up in the Vietnamese community where there was a lot of these cultural activities happening. I was at a cultural event and my friend said, 'Hey, we need somebody to do this. Can you do it?' I was about 12 years old and I was just like, 'Sure, I'll hop in.'"

Tran described lion dancing as "very powerful, very strong, very symbolic art form." The audience on Sunday got to see the performance play out in the form of a narrative, describing a battle between the heroic Shi, "a beast of courageousness and noble bravery ... (with) the strength of 10 men and the ferocity of a vivacious hurricane," against the Nian beast, a fierce creature "with intensely glowing eyes, fans as sharp as 1,000 knives, and a body of shimmering black scales," which terrorized the humans in older times of legend.

The "lions" had people inside them who moved the creatures around — playfully interacting with fascinated children — and made them crouch, stand up high in the air, or move about the room to a frantic drum beat.

"It's very energetic, very vibrant, very alive," said Tran. "There's a lot of ... spontaneity. It kind of touches on something almost primal, you could say, something that's a little wild."

Tran also shared information about the Lunar New Year, celebrated for over 3,500 years in east Asia, a period marking a spiritual and cultural renewal that signals the coming of spring and the end of winter. People celebrate by cleaning and conditioning the home, decorating in bright red and gold colors, and giving and receiving lucky envelopes, among other customs.

"Our group is more than happy to be here," said Tran of coming to Somerset. "It's exciting to be the first guys over here to share this kind of activity with the community."