Look! A golden dragon has appeared among the crowd! The golden dragon twists and turns, chasing the dragon pearl, as if soaring through the clouds. That is not a real dragon, it’s the dragon dance team of Chinese school of Chapel Hill (教堂山中文学校). On December 6, 2025, the dragon dance team of chinese school of chapel hill participated in Carrboro-Chapel Hill Community Holiday Parade.
Dragon dance is a type of Chinese folk performence, with a team of nine or more people that holds the “dragon”. One person holds the dragon pearl, the rest of the team holds the “dragon”. People will fiddle with the wooden stick in their hand, work together to complete the different movements that imitate the dragon’s action such as “jumping over the dragon’s pearl” or the “circling of the dragon”. The people that hold the dragon pearl will lead the team’s direction and movements.
Dragon dance originated in the Han Dynasty of ancient China. It was originally a ritual to pray. Later, the dragon dance gradually became an activity that is commonly used in celebrations such as the Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival.
As time has passed, dragon dance has evolved from an ancient Chinese rain-making ritual into a celebratory activity, but what remains unchanged is that the dragon dance represents people’s hopes for unity and a bright future.
Thanks to Jenny Yue for helping revise the article.
picture resource:
https://dragon-vibe.com/blogs/dragon-blog/dragon-dance-in-china?srsltid=AfmBOooIyNGnoIPQZ8JdsqYgczWh8kkdpAmNzNsYC74Maj-CsiI0gSZK
https://shaolin-yuntai.com/training/lion-dragon-dance/
