Lion dance office blessing

UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik and staff

The celebration of Chinese New Year is never complete without the symbolic presence of the lion dance, which is said to bring a good fortune. Nothing brings greater joy to the celebration other than the sound of the cymbals crashing against one another in a rhythmic sequence along with the beat of the drum.

To share this joy of celebration with all the community of UTAR, the Wushu Club of Sungai Long Campus organised the “Lion Dance Office Blessing” on 27 February 2018 at the Sungai Long Campus. Besides creating a vibrant atmosphere for the celebration of Chinese New Year, the event aimed to spread and promote the Chinese tradition and its magnificent culture.

The Wushu team took the opportunity to visit the President’s office, Registrar’s office, Chancellery, Division of Human Resource, Division of Corporate Communication and Public Relations (DCCPR),  Division of Strategy Planning, Performance Monitoring and Audit, Faculty of Creative Industries, Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM), Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Estates and Facilities, Department of Alumni Relations and Placement, Department of Student Affairs (DSA), Software Development and Multimedia Services Centre, and Centre for Extension Education.

During the ceremony, the lions were given mandarins and lettuce to be eaten and tossed around. The act of tossing mandarin symbolises gold being thrown all over the place because mandarin has a similar pronunciation to gold in the Chinese language. Other than that, the lions also walked around to ward off evil spirits using their horns and mirrors on the heads along with the help of loud music played from the instruments to ensure a better working environment.

Moreover, red packets also commonly known as ang pow were seen exchanged during the event. The act of giving a red packet is believed to be a gesture of blessing. The sum collected through the ang pow blessing will be used for the Society’s future activities. 

Celebrating the lion dance at the Registrar’s office

Celebrating with the DCCPR team

Celebrating with FAM Dean Dr Sia Bee Chuan 

 Celebrating with the DSA team