Every few years, I make an effort to attend one of the big temple festivals in Taipei: Qingshan Wang (which I was blogging about before it was cool and Freddy gave concerts at it), the Matsu parade out by Raohe Night Market, Baosheng Cultural Festival (and, when possible, its firewalking ceremony) the City God, to name a few. This year, Bao'an Temple's Baosheng Cultural Festival happened to fall on a day when I was free.
This was in late April, before the outbreak in Taiwan, so it was safer to be in a crowd.
In the past, I tried to take beautiful photographs, the kind where it looks like it's just you and the performer (and maybe some spectators in the back), doing their thing. I'd nose my way around the other hobbyist (and some professional) photographers to try to get those shots, or find a spot along the parade route with better chances of success.
This time, though, I just wanted to enjoy myself. In any case, I've noticed an uptick in interest in these events, which means more spectators -- though there was always a crowd -- and more photographers sticking their equipment right in front of everyone else. It was hot and muggy, I was tired, the mask requirement was necessary, but made it more stifling. I sweat a lot in masks. I just didn't have it in me.
I'm not complaining -- just about everyone there is a Taiwanese spectator enjoying their own cultural heritage and that's great. If it means my pictures aren't as well-composed, well...so be it.
Looking through the photos now, however, I see something else. Something potentially better. There aren't many 'perfect shots', but there's a lot of local flavor, a lot of behind-the-scenes action, and a sense of what it's actually like to attend these festivals in the real world: hot, crowded, often hard to get a good view. Some guy's head or lens jutting into your 'perfect shot'. Performers framed by crowds more than temple finery. A touch of chaos. The patina of old buildings. I realized I liked these photos: they captured the real experience better than a 'perfect shot' ever could.
So I've decided to share them here as a kind of photo essay of what it's really like to attend a popular temple festival in Taiwan. Don't expect a VIP experience. Expect noise and crowds and jostling and some dude walking in front of you just as that performer executes a perfect jump.
And that's great.
(And yes, I do have a current affairs post coming up, it's just not ready yet).
I won't bother captioning these; they mostly speak for themselves. My favorites include the young girl imitating the Eight Generals, the Eight Generals getting ready (and drinking sports drink), the interesting woodcarving shop we found along the route, the airplanes overhead, the smoking suona player...and the friendly soul who gave me that Matsu association baseball cap.
