In the beginning of the ceremony, the brand new lions are laid out before a Taoist alter with its eyes and mouth locked in a closed position. At this time, the priest will pray to the heavens for the gods to open the gates so that the lion's spirit may descend down to earth and consume the bodies of the lions.
The lion costumes are purified with the sprinkling of water by using the leaf of a Bu-Look (or Pomolo) tree. Then, the blood of a live rooster is used as a sacrificial symbol to mark the mirror shield on the lion's forehead. With this shield, evil spirits will see their own reflections and will be scared away.
After the spirit has entered the lion's body, the eyes and mouth are opened. Small lights inside the lion's eyes are lit up to represent the presence of the religious spirit. Red paint is used to dot the lion's eyes so that the spirit can foresee good and evil.
After a lion is blessed and awakened, a red ribbon is tied around the lion's horn as a symbol of courage and honor. The ribbon is a reminder for the lion to do only good things. Legend has it that the lion was once caught in an evil temptation and the gods punished it by cutting its head off. However, the goddess of mercy felt that the lion had learned its lesson and tied the head back on with a red ribbon. Therefore, when the lion awaken and pay respects to the gods, it will be honored with the tying of a red ribbon around its horn.
Now, the lion is ready to wake up and come out of its den.