Texas-Style welcome

The Daily Texan, 27 Aug 2003

Excerpt

Performers such as the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team, an official UT student organization that performed this year and in years past, are part of the allure of this event. The traditional Chinese lion dance, which features a mystical beast with the head of a lion and the body of a dragon, is believed to bring prosperity and happiness. These creatures are considered wild, angry gods and are known as the "lung." It is the job of the Happy Buddha (or the Frightened Freshman) to calm these beasts by feeding them and coaxing them to sleep. According to Chinese legend, good fortune is yours if the lung eats what you feed it. That is, of course, unless the lung eats you.