Lion Dance at the Temple Fair
by Chen Yu-ting · Oct 2026
Every spring, the temple near my grandma's house has a big fair. People come to pray, eat snacks and watch the lion dance. Last year, my uncle asked me to join his team. I wanted to say no because I was shy, but I also wanted to try something new. So I said yes.
The lion dance is an old . Two people move inside one lion. One person holds the head, and the other one bends down and becomes the back and the tail. My job was the tail. It sounds easy, but it is not. I had to watch my partner's feet and follow every step. We practiced after school three times a week. Every ended with sore legs and a red face.
On the day of the fair, the streets were very . I could hear the drums before I could see the temple. When the music started, my hands began to . Then my uncle hit the drum harder, and I felt the beat in my chest. I stopped thinking and just moved.
At the end, the lion jumped up to take a red packet from a high pole. The cheered, and the went on for a long time. Inside the lion, no one could see my face, but I was smiling the whole time.
My grandpa loves this dance very much, and now I know the reason. It is not only a show. It brings the whole street together.