KOLKATA, INDIA, October 7, 2011 (dna india): Goddess Durga was accorded a Chinese farewell today, as the community came forward to present their traditional lion dance to mark the return of the Goddess to her heavenly abode.
Dressed in colorful traditional lion costumes, a 20-member team of the city’s vibrant Chinese community performed the dance during the Goddess’ immersion procession by the Singhi Park Durgotsav Committee here this evening.
Mimicking a lion’s movements, the lion dance is a symbol of the good chasing away the evil to bring back peace and prosperity. Hundreds of people took part in the ritual and bade farewell to the lion-seated Durga by taking part in the colorful lion dance. In Hindu tradition the lion was given to Durga by Lord Himalaya while according to a Chinese mythological story, the lion descended from heaven to protect the people and fight evil forces. “The primary reason is to show our solidarity with the people of Bengal, a state we have made our home. It is an India-China venture to show respect to the divine goddess who rides a lion,” said James Leao, leader of the lion dance group.
Abhijit Majumdar, secretary of the Singhi Park Durgostav committee, said, “We have been living together for years now and it shows the right spirit that we are true neighbors who take part in each other’s festivals and help each other in their needs.” This is perhaps the first time in West Bengal that the Chinese community has directly participated in any Indian festival, he added.