香港盂蘭勝會(1) 2012 The Ghost Festival (1), Hong Kong

盂蘭勝會  The Ghost Festival (Ullambana)

也許是年紀大了, 愈來愈相信「萬事皆有其緣法」這回事, 就連参觀盂蘭勝會也是个緣字。在香港那些年, 每天除了忙, 還是只有忙。每年的農曆七月, 經過盂蘭勝會的場地 (多在社區球場搭建), 見到大士台內青面獠牙的紙紥神像, 都會貪婪的多看两眼,心裡老是謫詁着要找個時間去拍照。今年第二次回港正好碰上農曆七月, 知道沙田禾輋邨有盂蘭勝會, 會場離酒店一箭之遥, 走路就能到。那天下午有個空檔, 雖然晚上才演戲, 但晚上有事, 所以也就信步走去, 隨便看看。到達時快四點了, 卻沒想到來的正是時候呢。

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, is widely observed in Asia, from Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam to Malaysia, in a variety of forms and rituals. The festival is held on the 15th of the 7th month on the lunar calender (14th in southern China, and most Japanese use Gregorian calender nowadays). A lot of rituals and offerings to ghosts are carried out through out the whole seventh month. It is believed that the festival had its origin in Ullambana (note the first two or three phonetic segments = Yu Lan or Yu Lan Pan in Chinese) and the assumption of the annual opening of the gates of hell. Unlike other Chinese memorial days, Qingming and Chung Yeung in which offerings are only made to family ancestors, in Yu Lan offerings are made to all souls, including the wandering souls who have no one sending offerings to them.

記得小時候, 每至農曆七月, 街上有人燒”街衣”, 設食祭祀, 普渡孤魂野鬼。六Ｏ年代後就多見有組織的孟蘭勝會在各區舉行, 似為潮汕籍同胞的風俗。盂蘭勝會又稱盂蘭盤會(曰人稱之為盂蘭盤或お盤), 據說緣自＜佛說盂蘭盆經,Ullambana＞「目連救母」的故事, 那印度故事後來被漢化成國劇劇目。普通賀誕的神功戲只有戲棚, 孟蘭勝會除了戲棚外, 還有神壇、經棚和大士台等好幾座棚, 以進行不同的活動。

Ullambana origin – As described in the Sutra, the mother of Maudgalyayana, a disciple of Buddha, was suffering from the lower realm. Lord Buddha instructed Maudgalyayana to obtain liberation for his mother by making offering to the sangha, the community of monks, and the hungry ghosts. However, Yu Lan is not considered to be a major festival by most Cantonese except for folks from Cháozhōu (or Chiuchow 潮州). As a matter of fact, almost all the celebration in different communities are organized by folks from Chaozhou. The opera performed on stage is mostly in Chaozhou style and dialect, although occasionally Cantonese opera companies are also hired to perform because a lot of the young folks do not speak their dialect anymore. To the older generation, Ullanbana is much more than opera, there are rituals and offerings as reflected by the number of  bamboo halls in the premises.

1. 經師棚 : 經師在此設壇誦經, 超度亡魂。在沙田孟蘭勝會所見, 經師棚雖掛念佛社之幡, 但經師似為道教中人。這也跟中元節的融合佛、道ニ教, 普渡陰陽ニ界的傳統吻合。

1. Ceremony hall where Buddhists or Taoists hold ceremonies to relieve ghosts from suffering. The following two photos show the ceremony hall and setting inside the hall.  Taoists were chanting inside the hall, apparently performing some sort of ceremonies.

2.神棚: 棚內設供拜「天地父母」和緒神。神棚两側相連為辦事處和接待室。

2. The shrine: There were a number of gods enshrined here, among them, the God of Heaven and Earth. Next to the shrine were the office and reception room.

神壇 – 主奉天地父母。The shrine.

天地父母  The God of Heaven and Earth

3. 大士台, 孤魂台和福品台。

3. Guanyin (Bodhisattva) Hall (right), on the left,Wandering Ghost Hall & Lucky rice stand.

公告欄 Announcement

大士,傳說是觀音化身成鬼王, 於鬼月中統領和安撫孤魂野鬼。 This god is believed to be one of the embodiments of Bodhisattva Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) who acts as the leader of wandering ghosts and spirits during the ghost’s month.

孤魂台 Wandering Ghosts’ Hall

大紅紙馬, 口含春草。 此乃諸神座騎。Red horse, the mount for deities.

福品台 – 主要是白米, 另外還有各種由善信捐贈作競投的各樣物品. 據說今年一條十包裝的 Lucky 香煙以港幣三萬八千元投得。

Next to the stable of the Red House, there was a stand for stacking lucky food, mainly rice, for later distribution to neighbors who believed eating those rice would bring good luck to their families .

平安米。Lucky rice.

5. 戲棚: 戲棚結構與西貢白沙湾神功戲戲棚相若, 只是觀眾席設在地上, 並無微斜的台而已。

5. The theater, where the devotional opera performance was held.

5. 神袍棚: 神棚內擺放神袍三件, 分別是「天地父母」袍, 「南辰北斗」袍, 和「諸位福神」袍, 此外另有較小型的神衣和金銀元宝等貢品..

5. Outfit for deities. These beautiful and delicate paper outfit were for deities, they would be burned with the embodiment of Bodhisattva Guanyin before the end of the 3-day event.

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儀式  Ceremony :

道士誦經超度亡魂。 Chanting by Taoists to relieve suffering of the wandering ghosts.

正在跟拍道士唸經的時候, 突然聽到鼓樂大鳴, 原來戲台上鼓樂動起來, 正上演「五福連」, 所以說來得正是時候,運氣太好了。中國傳統戲劇上演前多有開台吉祥戲(見白沙湾神功戲), 潮劇之吉詳戲為”四出連”(四齣連?), 共產黨上台後就被禁演, 直至80年代開放後才恢復, 並根據神功戲呈現”功名財子壽”的寓意而改稱為”五福連”,是一組片段式的組合演出。

While taking pictures of the ceremony in front of the Wandering Ghost Hall, I heard music playing in the theater. Out of blue, auspicious scenes were being played.

第一齣: 十仙慶寿, 又稱八仙賀寿。與粵劇六國大封相前的八仙賀寿有明顯不同, 此處重點在於將十仙擺成壽字。十仙者, 即傳統八仙加東方朔和金母(西天王母娘娘)也。

Auspicious Scene 1: Celebrating Empress of Heaven’s birthday by the Eight Immortals (八仙). The devotional Cantonese opera we’d seen in Sai Kung also had the same scene. However, the Chaozhou version was performed in a different way. The scene is a symbol of longevity.

東方朔向金母(西天王母娘娘)報說, 八仙將出席蟠桃大會, 為金母賀寿。The birthday girl – the Empress of Heaven.

鐵拐李與漢鍾離.  Two of the Immortals: Iron Crutch Li & Han Zhongli.

曹國舅與張果老。 Two of the Immortals: Royal Uncle Cao & Zhang Guo Lao

潮湘子與吕洞賓  Two of the Immortals: Han Xiang Zi (The philosopher) & Lu Dongbi (The Taoist)

何仙姑與藍釆和 Two of the Immortals: He Xiangu & Lan Caohe

十仙將寿字擺開,就是用眾仙叠起來擺成壽字。鉄拐李在最上, 成寿頭 。All the deities stack up to form the character “longevity”.

東方朔所擺寸字。Part of the character.

韓湘子擺口字。 Part of the character.

第二齣: 跳加冠- 加冠亦即加官, 加官晉爵也。粵劇的開台吉祥戲碼是八仙賀寿和六國大封相, 好像沒有跳加官。而京劇的舊傳統是有跳加官的, 尤其是有達官貴人蒞臨。尤有進者, 如果有貴介夫人出席看戲, 會加跳”女加官”。台湾歌仔戲亦有跳加冠的吉祥戲。又記, 據說現在香港潮劇團後繼無人, 很多劇團成員都是來自福建云云。表演者扮相似天官, 亦有人說是財神趙公明。

Auspicious Scene 2: Auspicious dance by a court official, a symbol of promotion.

以前戲班演戲中, 如有達官蒞臨, 戲即暫停。由穿官服的演員演跳加官歡迎高官, 由於是突發性的, 要換裝有困難, 所以演員所”帶”之面具很特別, 面具後有一籐條, 演員用口咬着, 馬上可出台。由於跳加官沒有台詞, 而表演也是數分鐘的事, 所以是有效率的安排。此傳統沿用至今。

第三齣 : 落地送子 – 故事是凡人董永與天姬結合。天姬後被逼回天宫, 誕下麟兒。於是特駕雲下凡向董永送回骨肉。

Auspicious Scene 3: Delivery of baby boy. It is a story of a young court official who fell in love with a beautiful deity. She was later forced to go back to heaven. A baby boy was born in heaven and the deity mother came down to earth again to deliver the baby to his father. This is a symbolism of offspring.

董永

注意董永手上抱着戲神三太子(金吒, 木吒, 哪吒)之一的道具。Note the baby boy in his father’s arm.

落地送子之稱之為落地就是所有有演員由中間梯級步行至神壇向天地父母跪拜。The tradition in this Chaozhou version is to walk down the staircase and go the shrine to make a wish.

天姬手上抱有太子。

跪拜完畢, 信步上台。

第四齣 : 唐明皇淨棚, 亦有稱李世民淨棚 (實為李隆基之誤)。唐明皇獨自出場, 用孔子正音唸四句韵白, 曰:「高搭彩樓巧艳戕, 梨園子弟有萬千,句句都是翰林造, 奏出離合共悲歡」。語畢, 向四方表演身段, 然後退場, 過程不過三數分鐘。

Auspicious Scene 4 : The actor enacted as Emperor Lee of the Tong Dynasty. The emperor performs a ritual to clarify the stage before the actual performance.

第五齣 京城會。演述呂蒙正高中,接夫人劉翠屏到京相會團圓的故事。

Auspicious Scene 5: Family Reunion.

開台吉祥戲至此告一段落,晚上正式開鑼上演神功戲。

Auspicious Scene ended here, it lasted only 45 minutes. The real show would begin at 8pm, I had obligation that night, so I went back the last evening of the 3-day event.

後記: 此舞台的佈置相當不錯, 佈景、道具、服装和樂師都有劇團水平, 唯一令我困擾的是他們的照明。舞台上照明極不平均, 而且光源色温亦不一致, 演員站立的每一個位置的曝光指數都不一樣, 身體稍為移動, 效果就变了, 挑戰性很大。

Note: Although it was a free performance, the costume, stage setting and the orchestra were up to standard. However, the only challenge, in terms of picture taking, for me was the lighting. The stage was not evenly illuminated, and spot lights of different color temperature were used, making proper exposure very difficult.

香港盂蘭勝會(2) 2012 The Ghost Festival (2), Hong Kong

盂蘭勝會 – 潮劇之台前幕後  The Ghost Festival – the opera performance

這是沙田盂蘭盆會第二輯照片。第一輯攝於三天會期的第一天，只紀錄到盂蘭盆會的場地和吉祥戲的部份。那天晚上有事，無法留到晚上看潮劇。第三天辦完事已經是晚上七點, ,正在盤算著去那兒食晚飯, 突然想起這裡最後一晚的演出, 所以也顧不得吃飯, 先來看看再說。原來來得也正是時侯呢。

This is the second part of my first encounter with Ghost Festival (Ullambana) in Hong Kong. I went to the site of celebration in Shatin on the first day of the 3-day event. I had been busy until the evening of the third day and I was wondering where to go for dinner at around 7pm, and, all of a sudden, it flagged up in my mind.  It was the last evening of the festival held there. I knew I was hungry, but I also understood that it’s my last chance to see their performance. Yes, you are right, I went there with an empty stomach.

香港的夏天又潮濕又熱, 令人不耐, 但這開放式劇院的氣氛甚佳, 人也不擁擠, 两且是完全免費的。 The open-air theater at night. The atmosphere was wonderful.

開台前輕鬆的一刻, 拍照留念。 Photo opp before the show.

開台前輕鬆的一刻, 拍照留念。Photo opp before the show.

沒想到運氣真好, 來到不久就看到這位先生在替演員拍照留念, 我也就站在他後面取景。這先生人很友善, 像是負責人的樣子。後來跟他聊了幾句, 他告訴我開演的時間, 還邀我到後台拍照。於是我就老實不客氣,恭敬不如從命, 跑到後台拍了一會。

我想在這裡向新韓江劇團的各位老倌致敬。那短短十多分鐘的近距離接觸讓我對他們的工作有初步的體騐。 且不說長年累月的培訓和學藝, 光是在那種環境下演出就不容易呢。後台又濕又熱, 沒有冷氣, 就是連窗子都沒有。每個人手拿着巴掌大的鏡子在化妝,沒有化妝師,也沒有化妝枱。 臉上塗上厚厚的脂粉, 身上穿着又大又厚的戲服, 還有長長的水袖, 難怪放大的舞台照片上,大家都滿頭汗水….

It was definitely one of my lucky days. I arrived there at around  7:40pm, a gentleman was taking pictures of actors and actresses. I took the privilege to take pictures behind him. He’s a very nice guy. We  chatted a bit. He told me to feel free to take pictures, and asked if I would like to visit their backstage. OMG, I was like a kid in a candy store!

Salute to the actors and actresses ! I was amazed to see how little resources they had in the backstage. I understood that it was no Broadway and the backstage was not as glamorous as what’s shown at the front. However, there was only one common table for tea making and for some actresses to put on their headdresses, most folks were using a hand-held, palm-sized mirror to put on their make-up. The stack of rice packs was doubled up as a table holding the mirror for an actor who needed two hands to tied his wig. Moreover, it was hot and humid inside the backstage which was not air-conditioned.

開台前輕鬆的一刻。A light moment before the show.

開台前輕鬆的一刻。A light moment before the show.

這位老哥是要角之一呢, 他的鏡子只有巴掌大, 這幾袋米就是他的化妝台了。The stack of rice bags doubled up as a mirror stand.

開台前輕鬆的一刻。A light moment before the show.

“快出場了, 先呷口茶再去”。  “I am ready to roll, but let me have a sip of tea first.”

這是舞台两翼, 即樂池, 是樂師伴奏的地方, 也是演員出場前等侯的地方。The orchestra pits were located on the two sides of the stage. Behind them, there is the waiting area for actors and actresses.

從台下看舞台两翼的樂池。 The orchestra pit on the left side of the stage.

從台下看舞台两翼的樂池。 The orchestra pit on the right side of the stage.

在後台拍了十來分鐘, 忽聞開鑼聲, 正式上演了, 這是站在樂池後所見。 Showtime, seeing the show from the waiting area in the backstage is a new experience to me.

忽怱謝過後台諸位, 趕到前台來。                    I thanked folks in the backstage and rushed to the front. This was how it looked from the audience view.

當晚上演壓軸戲「父子三登科」, 大致是說一對年輕夫婦生下双胞胎, 不久遭奸人所害, 尤幸得救, 双子長成, 父子三人共試而中舉的故事, 我因不懂潮語, 亦無暇兼看字幕, 所以是用猜的。看到十點半過場時, 飢腸漉漉, 也就鳴金收兵, 去找吃的了。

I must confess that I don’t speak the dialect and I was too busy to pay attention to subtitle box next to the stage. However, I believe it was a story of a happy couple who were somehow falsely incriminated shortly after giving birth to twin boys. They struggled for a long time before they had their name cleared and then father and sons were all successful in court and became officials serving the emperor.

你認得這傢伙嗎?  He looks familiar, isn’t he?

富田農場,北海道富良野 Farm Tomita，Furano, Hokkaido

北海道行腳之二 Hokkaido Blue – Part II

富良野富田農場（1）- 彩りの畑   Farm Tomita（1） – Irodori Field

富田農場是美瑛、富良野地區衆多花田中的首選，乃遊客必遊之景點。而農場內各花田中則以彩色之田（有稱彩虹之田）最令人讚歎。每年七月中至下旬薰衣草花開得最盛，配合平衡帶狀的各式花田，築構成地上的彩虹。這裡也就成了攝影家的天堂，花田左邊被圈了一彈丸之地，容許架設三腳架拍照，是攝影家必爭之地，從D4, D800, Mark III, Hasselblad 甚至 Linhof 8×10 等技術相機都在這𥚃爭一席之地。我等小輩也在此湊興，東施效顰，拍幾張過過癮。
Farm Tomita is probably the most famous flower fields in Hokkaido. Among all the flower fields in the farm, Irodori Field is definitely the most spectacular one. We went there a couple of times to capture the colors under different lighting conditions. I was amazed to have noticed that tourists were from all over the world. For photography professionals and enthusiasts alike, this is the place you don’t want to miss. On the left hand side of the field, there is a tiny area designated for tripod users, that small area was always filled with tripods supporting camera like D4, Hasselblad and even skill cameras like Linhof. My D800 is a little brother among them, I tried to squeeze in and fired a bunch of shots, in hope that I would get a good one. I am showing a few below as the first draft because I have not yet been able to work on those HDR yet. I’ll have this post updated as time allows.

必須指出,這張佳作並非出自我手 : (..囧 ! 是老妻坐在小吃部前等我時隨手偶得。This is one of the best shots, if not the best, we had in Hokkaido. As I said before, my wife knows nothing about cameras. However, this is her masterpiece.

富良野富田農場（2）- 花人之田 Farm Tomita（2） – Hanabito Field

花人之舍是富田農場的迎賓大樓。Hanabito Field in front of Hanabito House

曰夲女遊客拍照留念, 她的攝影就站在我旁邊。A Japanese tourist posting in front of me, her mother, the photographer, was standing next to me.

 

花人之田北面的溫室。The Greenhouse.

Flower House and Rapport House (left).

花人之田  Hanabito Field.

花人之田  Hanabito Field.

花人之田  Hanabito Field.

倖之花田 Sakiwai Field

倖之花田 Sakiwai Field.

倖之花田  Sakiwai Field

傳統薰衣草田 Traditional Lavender Field

富田的公務車也漆上薰衣草的顏色。Farm Tomita’s official scooter, in lavender color.

美瑛青池 The Blue Pond, Biei, Hokkaido

北海道行腳之一  Hokkaido Blue – Part I

青池 – 淡妝濃抹總相宜

還記得那天第一次透過相機的反光鏡看到青池(青い池)時的感覺。 第一個感覺是: 怎麽會如此的美呀?  真的不知道那到底是什麼樣的感覺。 一種令人震撼的驚艷的感覺, 還是說那就是心醉的感覺呢? 其實是有點像在毫無心理準備下, 在街上碰到絕色美女的那種手足無措的感覺吧 (抱歉, 這裡語焉不詳, 背後有一個在京都發生的小故事, 有機會再補述)?  第一次看到富田農場也覺得很美, 但那是富麗堂皇的美, 理所當然的美, 而不是青池那種神秘, 寂靜, killing me softly 的冷艷的美。用眼看到的青池與照相機反光鏡看到的是有點不同, 相機的構圖把四周的人和雜物隔開, 帶你進入那寧靜的世界。

This is a series of pictures taken at a tourist attraction called Blue Pond in Biei District, Hokkaido. It is a beautiful turquoise blue pond. At first sight, it was just a beautiful blue colored pond with blasted larches standing in the water. However,  when looking through the view finder of the camera, the beauty was breath-taking. The lens was like a tunnel that gave me access to the tranquilized, mysterious yet magnificent beauty of the pond.

那天把三脚架擺好, 套上相機, 一看之下, 幾乎令人窒息。深深吸了一口氣, 回個神, 沒有忘記前面套上的偏光鏡, 按照原來的構想, 把池面的反光減少, 尤其那幾天雲特多, 倒影在池面, 水就不藍了。可是, 沒想到, 倒影少, 池水湛藍有湛藍的美, 倒影多卻原來亦有另一種美, 一種玲瓏剔透的美。原來世上真的是有淡妝濃抹總相宜這回事。對比看看下面三張照片, 未知看官以為然否?

We arrived the pond at around 2:30 in the afternoon, there was on-and-off sunshine. To be able to capture the turquoise blue, I put on a polarization filter to eliminate some of the reflections. While turning the polarizer, I can’t help but noticed that there were many faces to the reflections. I wasn’t sure anymore if using the polarizer was a wise move. Therefore, in some occasions, I took a few pictures with varies degrees of effect of the filter applied, the following are three examples, you be the judge.

下面一張是HDR(高動態成像）合成後,再增加反差, 不能說較好, 但效果不一樣。The following is a HDR image(high dynamic range – to brighten up the dark side of the trunks), and a little increase of contrast, I am not sure if this is better, it feels different.

青池並不是造物者的傑作, 而是附近活火山十勝岳在1988年發生”小噴火”(日語)時進行的”砂防工事”(日語)所引起的美麗的副產品。我不清楚到底”砂防工事”確實的做法, 但大致情况是這樣的:

While digging info online, I was surprised to learn that the pond was not an original design by Mother Nature, it is a beautiful by-product created during a small eruption of the nearby volcano,十勝岳 Tokachidake.

陰天下的青池。The pond seen under a cloudy sky.

陽光下的青池。The pond under a sunny sky.

昭和63年(1988)12月, 十勝岳火山小規模爆發, 流出火山泥流, 為防止泥流流入美瑛, 就在青池附近進行「砂防工事」而修築堰堤。這堤就把原來是一片松林的洼地变成「水たまり」(水氹, puddle), 這水氹內原來長有約200棵的唐松就被淹死了, 光禿的枯樹群就靜靜的枯立水中。由於這水氹內的水混有美瑛川的河水和地下水, 水中含頗高的鋁化物, 故呈藍色。水池也因而被稱為「青い池」。這两三年前仍然是私房景點的青池因網友的介紹而熱起來。2011白石健人一張名為「青池と初雪」的照片入選 National Geographic 把青池的知名度推向新高。
網上有網友稱枯樹為白樺樹, 恐怕是不正確的。曰人稱之為カラマツ, 漢字寫作唐松, 學名Larix kaempferi, 是落葉針葉樹的一種。據說枯立的唐松的數目正慢慢減少呢。

In order to prevent mud-slide and erosion, a dam was constructed nearby on River Biei. An unintended consequence was the creation of a puddle of water,  a mixture of water from the river and the seepage of underground water, which drowned the 200 larches in that area. Due to a high content of aluminum, the water appears to be turquoise blue.

BTW, some folks online referred the blasted trees as birch, I believe they are カラマツ (Japanese Larch, Karamatsu 唐松, Larix kaempferilarge), one of the deciduous coniferous trees.

資訊 More information:

青い池 The Blue Pond

日本の写真家が撮影した北海道美瑛町の「青い池」First Snow on the Blue Pond – The award winning picture
青い池 map code: 349 568 888

2013.7 後記:前一陣子收到器材公司來的電郵, 示範如何令照片突出, 用的例子就是青池的照片。我也東施效顰, 將我的青池制了類似的一張, 你看如何? I have recently received an email from Nikon, they demonstrated how to add a wow-factor to your picture, they used a photo taken in Blue Pond. I made a similar one of my own, how do you like it?

2012 北海道風情 2012 Hokkaido Snapshots

為什麽北海道? 是的, 北海道沒有京都的歴史和古蹟, 也沒有東京的繁華和嬌媚…但是它有京都和東京所沒有的自然, 就像十五、六歲的美少女, 没有脂粉, 沒有做作, 就是連空氣都是那麽輕柔, 而且還带股薰衣草的幽香, 叫人心醉呢。朋友嚷着要看照片, 只是太忙了, 沒有時間整理。所以首先凑合幾張, 大家看看。

Here is a random collection of snapshots we have taken during our summer trip to Hokkaido, the northern end of Japan. Hokkaido is beautiful, famous for its flower fields in the summer and snow scenes in the winter. Friends are asking to see the pictures. I hear you, but kind of busy, so I have just randomly pulled out a bunch for your viewing pleasure.

2012 香港 – 神功戲 (4) 2012 Hong Kong – Cantonese Opera (4)

「龍城虎將振聲威」  A traditional romantic love story with comical element.

這是該晚的壓軸好戲。我猜粤劇迷一定都知道這劇目, 而我則是第一次看。這是一詼諧愛情劇, 各方面都不錯, 但跟前面的六國大封相比起來, 就似乎是不夠熱鬧。我們看到十點多, 大家都累了(連晚飯都還沒吃呢, 哈哈), 所以就束裝就道, 打道回府, 戲的下半場也就只好靠想像了。多謝香港各位朋友, 讓我们有一難忘的晚上。

We had an intermission after the evening’s opening spectacle, Installing the Prime Minister by Six Nations。The main act of the night, 「龍城虎將振聲威」, was finally being played at around 9pm. By the time we had another intermission at around 10:20, we unanimously agreed to call it a day. The act of the night was traditional, the usual stuff,  a princess falls in love with a handsome general….nothing much to talk about except a few images to conclude our Cantonese opera experience in Hong Kong. It .. was.. great !

主角之一是詼諧的丑生。 One of the leading roles was played by a 丑生, male comical character.

演得不錯。 He was good.

這女士也有點詼諧, 是丑旦吧。 I believe she is a Cau Daan(丑旦), a comical female character.

這就是虎將 (主角, 李龍演)。 The handsome general.

好喜歡他們的服飾….I can’t get enough of their costumes, gorgeous!

… 和做手。 Note the hand movement.

這位就是漂亮的公主(陳詠儀?)。She is the gorgeous princess.

看那關目、做手, 難怪粵劇令人入迷。 Her father is trying to please her with jewelry and silk. Isn’t she lovely?

過癮! I love her hand movement.

阮兆輝先生。 An official who tries to court the princess (not sure?).

2012 香港 – 神功戲 (3) 2012 Hong Kong – Cantonese Opera (3)

六國大封相 (下) Installing the Prime Minister by Six Nations(II)

這部份包括「羅傘架」、「接聖旨」、「出馬」、「出車」、「坐車」等排場。正如前面所說, 演出著重以表演排場為主，讓不同演員表演個人功架, 尤其是正印花旦表演的推車和鬚生的坐車功架, 更是重點片段。由於我是土包子, 第一次看, 根夲沒有想到會有帶馬旗手於拉馬時表演的翻騰, 尤其胭脂馬逗趣的演出, 令我措手不及, 相机快門未能及時作出相應調整, 很多鏡頭都捕捉不到。

This is the second part of the “Installing the Prime Minister by Six Nations”. This part shows the appointment process and the ceremony. Each part of the story is designed to allow certain types of showcase of skills by different male and female roles,  Sang (生) and Daan (旦). The arrival and departure of the court official and the generals, cart-pushing by leading actresses are considered by most to be the highlight of the whole act. Young warrior roles (小武生 usually not lead actor but a more acrobatic role) are showing their acrostic skills doing somersaults. There were minimal dialogs and singing, distinctive facial expressions and gestures were used to express their emotions. Like I said, this was our first, we didn’t expect to see such a fast paced play. As a matter of fact, those acrostic plays caught me off guard, my camera was not adjusted in time to capture those actions.

公孫衍 Kung Sun, The senior official

公孫衍出場 Kung Sun, the senior official, was summoned by the King of Wei….

公孫衍出場 …to discuss the installation of Su Qin.

鬚生演公孫衍。Going to court.

鬚生演公孫衍。Going to court.

梁王: 公孫卿, 為王命你明日前往渭水設壇拜蘇秦先生為六國都丞相…不得違旨。 公孫衍: 臣領旨。King Wei: I hereby order you  to carry out the installation of Mr Su Qin as the Prime Minister of the Six Nations as agreed in the Kings’ summit ……

「接聖旨」:- Delivery of the court order to Mr. Su Qin

公孫衍往渭水設壇拜相。 The next day, Kung Sun goes to the ceremony.

蘇秦出場: “全憑三寸舌, 平地一聲雷” Su Qin, the appointee.

公孫衍: “聖旨下”。 蘇秦: “千千歲”。Mr. Su, per court order of the Six Kings, you are hereby …..

公孫衍: 今有蘇秦先生, 說和六國, 伐秦有功…….奉蘇先生為六國都丞相…..更衣謝旨。” … appointed as the Prime Minister.

「羅傘架」 – 羅傘女乃花旦持羅傘者。羅傘女出場作一系列「做手」, 叫羅傘架。两花旦左右一起跳者稱「双羅傘架」, 一人跳者稱「羅傘架」或「單羅傘架」。羅傘女通常由第三花旦担任。行內人稱〝逢三惡做〞, 第一、第二花旦推車, 第三花旦跳羅傘架。跳羅傘架是表現羅傘女在拜相台前趁熱鬧, 走俏步以示滿心歡喜, 偶而又為地上石塊絆脚而前後進退。

羅傘, umbrella which serves as a banner in the court procession. The ladies who carry the 羅傘 perform specific dance.

第一羅傘女. The first umbrella lady.

第一羅傘女. The first umbrella lady.

第一羅傘女.The first umbrella lady.

「出馬」 – 第一羅傘女只亮相出場, 未跳羅傘架, 即回後台更衣成馬旦出場。

Ladies riding on horses and the horse attendants. They are the ones to put up an acrostic show.

馬旦馬童出場。The first umbrella lady changed and doubled up as a horse lady.

馬旦馬童出場。Another lady riding on horse, there are six of them.

馬童表演翻騰. Horse attendant showcases his acrostic skill.

馬童表演翻騰.  Horse attendant showcases his acrostic skill.

胭脂馬與馬童. The red horse and its attendant are the most active ones.

胭脂馬與馬童. The red horse and its attendant.

第二羅傘女. The second umbrella lady.

跳羅傘架. She performed a complete set of dance.

跳羅傘架. No singing, only gestures.

跳羅傘架. No singing, only gestures.

跳單羅傘架時, 台两边所站者為馬旦。Say hi to the ladies on horses.

馬旦 More ladies on horses.

御扇女。Court fan ladies (fans served as banner in court procession)

「推車」可說是封相的高潮。包括「出車」和「坐車」。推車女由花旦演出, 一般演出有3-4車。第一、第ニ是過場車(即出場亮相而已), 最後一架才是公孫衍坐的正車(表演推車功架)。過場車功架大同小異, 必有車碰石, 後退, 再走一節等等。話雖如此, 花旦亦會各施各法, 功架效果亦不盡相同。推車女所用的步法有＂炒米步＂和＂撮步＂等。

Cart-pushing – Cart is meant to be the transportation means used by Mr. Kung Sun. The lady who pushes his cart is the leading actress of the company. The other two cart-pushing ladies are the second leading actresses of the company. The act is considered by most to be the highlight of the whole act.

俏推車女 – 花旦林子青 The first cart-pushing lady.

俏推車女 – 花旦林子青. I love her facial expression….

花旦林子青…. and her costume…

花旦林子青…. particularly her head dress.

第二过場車。注意後面為原先跳羅傘架之第二羅傘女。The second cart-pushing lady. Note the umbrella lady standing in the back.

第二过場車 – 花旦鄭詠梅。Although they go through the same routine….

花旦鄭詠梅。… their facial expression…

花旦鄭詠梅。… and some hand movements do make a difference.

正車 – 花旦陳咏儀。The leading actress and her cart.

花旦陳咏儀。Isn’t she gorgeous?

公孫衍坐車。As the cart has arrived, Kung Sun prepares himself for the ride.

無法找到有関坐車功架的細節, 某些封相錄影的旁白亦只是泛泛提及公孫衍做出推窗外望和車碰石時的動作, 並無細述。找到後再補。這下面留空旁白, 給大家想像空間。拍攝時特意用稍慢快門, 希望能有動感, 不过效果未如理想。

I was not able to find any info explaining the gestures of cart-riding, therefore I leave you with your imagination alone to enjoy this spectacular show without any captions. In this series, I intentionally set the camera to a lower shutter speed to show some hand movements.

公孫衍坐車。似乎與靚次伯坐車時雙脚向义開的功架不盡相同。

好功架。Wow, what a ride.

與蘇秦話別。Farewell to Mr. Su.

與蘇秦話別。Farewell to Mr. Su.

拜拜囉 Homeward bound.

各元帥起駕。 Departure of the generals.

蘇秦起駕。With honor guards on his side, Mr. Su is departing.

元帥起駕。So as the general.

馬旦上路。And all the ladies on horses.

上路。Homeward bound.

上路。Homeward bound.

謝謝觀賞。Thank you for watching.

2012 香港 – 神功戲 (2) 2012 Hong Kong – Cantonese Opera (2)

眾仙….請了…
今日長庚星寿日之期, 我們拿了仙桃仙酒, 到筵前恭賀….
有理… 請..
Gentlemen, it is Lord Cheung Gun’s (Hesperus) birthday, shall we attend the party and wish him all the best?……… Sure…please…

2012 香港 – 神功戲 (2)  Hong Kong – Cantonese Opera (2)

碧天賀壽 (八仙賀壽)  Birthday celebration with the Eight Deities

各位當晚跟我一起觀劇的朋友: 這裡所寫的資料, 是回家後所搜集的。由於封相中所用的全是中原音韵, 亦即是戲栅官話。一般人不可能聽得懂, 我亦不例外, 所以到處搜集資料。希望這裡寫的資料对你有幫助。  碧天賀壽 (八仙賀壽)一劇是八仙為長庚星(金星)賀壽的戲碼。粵劇戲班開鑼第一晚多演六國大封相, 而演六國大封相前必演碧天賀壽 (八仙賀壽)。其實两劇目在故事上, 劇種上和曲藝上皆毫無關係, 可說是風馬牛不相及。據悉八仙賀壽乃根據崑曲而來, 而六國大封相則始於弋陽腔。弋陽腔在明初已相當流行並發展成各地方劇種。八仙賀壽內所有曲牌都是有管弦而無幫腔; 六國大封相所唱則是有幫腔而無管弦樂伴奏的(幫腔是一種戲曲演唱形式, 台上一人主唱, 台後多人和唱)。所以六國大封相所唱的大腔就是根據弋陽腔所改編的。

To my American friends, I must confess that I had hard time putting this paragraph together to show you the story of these pictures. I know nothing about Cantonese Opera, not to mention the proper English terms used in theater. I am working on it. However, for the time being, I can only use my poor general English to do the job.

八仙出場 The Eight Deities

That night’s opera program consisted of two parts. Part I was the ritualistic ceremonial opening episode which is normally performed on the first night of the grand opening. Part II is a traditional love story. The scene of Part I is set at the end of the Warring States Period (475 – 221 BC) of China; it is a re-enactment of the six states uniting and mustering their military strength to fight the 7th State (Qin). Su Qin, the influential political strategist was appointed by the kings of the alliance as the prime minister of the six nations. However, interestingly enough, a small addition to this major act, known as Birthday Celebration with the Eight Deities(celebrating Hesperus’ birthday, 八仙賀壽), is played before the main theme, for reasons nobody can remember. They do it anyway because that’s the tradition.

至於為何大封相前必演賀壽呢? 理由已無可稽考, 只是一戲班恪守不渝的傳統。有人猜想是戲班跑江湖, 每到一地, 必向地方人仕拜碼頭, 同時亦向當地鬼神打個招呼。演出好意頭的賀壽和拜相就有此意義云云。我对戲劇毫無認識, 上面的資料是根據阮兆輝先生在某錄影節目的旁白而寫成的, 由於很多字我都不懂(如弋陽腔, 幫腔等), 這裡寫的只是我想當然而己,文責筆者自負。

八仙出場 The “cloud” indicates that they are deities from heaven.

向長庚星拜寿。 Happy Birthday to Lord Cheung Gun (Hesperus).

向長庚星拜寿。Happy Birthday !

花旦演功架 Two female deities wish Lord Cheung Gun a great one by …..

花旦演水袖功架 …showcasing their water sleeve movement.

花旦演水袖功架  To showcase her water sleeve movement.

花旦演水袖功架  To showcase her water sleeve movement.

花旦演水袖功架 To showcase her water sleeve movement.

花旦演功架 To showcase her water sleeve movement.

花旦演功架 To showcase her water sleeve movement.

八仙唱曰:  金盤放羊羔, 天边一朵瑞雪飃, 海外八仙齊到. 先進丹沙一粒, 後進皇母仙桃, 彭祖八百寿年高, 永說長春不老。
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy……

八仙賀寿大約有三種:  1. 六國大封相前演的碧天賀寿;  2. 在仙姫送子前所演的八仙賀寿; 3. 在師傅誕時演出香花山大賀寿內的八仙賀寿。此八仙賀寿與前两種不同, 其服飾、扮相迥異, 以傳統的八仙形象出場。

至於八仙賀寿為何稱碧天賀寿, 實乃源於牌子所唱第一句為「碧天一朵瑞雲飃」之故。

八仙造形- 参看下圖 One of the deities

八仙造形- 参看下圖 One of the deities

似曾相識 Look familiar?

似曾相識 Look familiar?

 

***********************************************************************************************六國大封相 (上)  Installing the Prime Minister by Six Nations(I)

《六國大封相》是一套粵劇，相傳在中國清代同治年間，由廣東四大狀師之一的劉華東參考崑劇”金印記” 與”滿床笏” 改編而成的，講述戰國時代蘇秦遊說六國以合縱策略，聯盟抗秦國，六國拜蘇秦丞相。

該劇有「六國王出場」、「六元帥上場」、「羅傘架」、「接聖旨」、「出馬」、「出車」、「坐車」等排場，著重以表演排場為主，以做功細膩見長，配以豐富的單打大鑼鼓和牌子音樂的。當中以不同演出片段讓不同演員表演個人功架，有檢閱演員的意味在內，其中有武生和正印花旦表演的坐車和推車、六國元帥表演打馬上場，及三幫和四幫花旦藉羅傘架表演戲曲身段等。而由丑角擔演六色馬中的胭脂馬演出逗趣的片段。而六位帶馬的六旗手，通常由武師擔演，於拉馬時表演翻騰絕藝，作為全劇的尾聲 (Wikipedia 資料)。

This is a must see act in Cantonese Opera. This is the first act that a company plays to showcase their cast, their skills and movements at the opening night. Almost every actors and actresses participate in some roles and put their best to display. The scene is considered to be one of the most, if not the most, beautiful, eye-popping, and jaw-dropping scenes in Cantonese opera.

「六國王出場」 The entry of the kings of the six nations.

魏梁惠王出場前, 小武先出場. Secret service before the kings’ entry.

小武出場.  Secret service before the kings’ entry.

魏梁惠王: 今有蘇秦先生, 說和六國, 理該封贈, 待我邀五王相会, 商討…..便是。The king of Wei is asking for a high-level meeting to install Su Qin as the prime minister of the six nations.

打開五鳳樓!………….五國王出場. The arrival of kings.

梁王相邀……..King Wei is calling for the meeting..

……..未知何事? I wonder what the agenda is…

這位應是韓國宣惠公, 傳統上由正印丑生扮演。One of the six kings.

五國王之一.One of the six kings.

魏國梁惠王相邀楚、趙、齊、韓、燕五國王, 商討封蘇秦為相。 Greetings, I would like to recommend our alliance to install Mr. Su as the prime minister of the Six Nations, your opinion is sought.

楚、趙、齊、韓、燕五國王。The kings agreed.

群王贊成封蘇秦為都丞相, 告退回朝。Agreement concluded, so long.

「六元帥出場」 The entry of the six generals.

六國元帥出場 The entry of one of the six generals.

六國元帥出場. The entry of one of the six generals.

六國元帥出場. The entry of one of the six generals.

六國元帥出場. The entry of one of the six generals. The red horsewhip indicates that he is riding a horse.

六國元帥出場. The entry of one of the six generals. The red horsewhip indicates that he is riding a horse.

正印小生 – 李龍先生. This is the leading actor, Mr. Lee Lung.

六國元帥出場. The entry of one of the six generals.

六國元帥出場. Two of the six generals.

著名的阮兆輝先生. A famous Cantonese opera artist, Mr. Yuen Siu Fai.

六國元帥出場. The entry of one of the six generals.

列位鎮台, 請…呀…了。今有蘇秦先生,說和六國, 伐秦有功, 六龍會議, 拜他為相。 列位將軍,  待我等身披戎裝, 法台恭候…
Gentlemen, Mr. Su Qin facilitated the alliance of our six nations against the Kingdom of Qin, our kings have agreed to install him as our prime minister, shall we attend the ceremony, please…

…有理…請.. Certainly, please…

鎮台, 請..Greetings

to be continued…

2012 香港 – 神功戲(1) 2012 Hong Kong – Devotional Performances of Cantonese Opera (1)

神功戲之一: 臺前幕後

Devotional performances of Cantonese opera – Part I : In front of and behind the curtain

神功戲粤劇表演, 顧名思義, 是百姓為了酬謝神恩而舉行的戲劇演出。 “在香港而言，神功戲泛指一切因神誕、廟宇開光、鬼節打醮、太平清醮及傳統節日而上演的所有戲曲 (Wikipedia)” 。由於以神誕為多, 神功戲通常會在廟宇旁空地以竹搭的臨時戲棚內舉行。這次西貢白沙灣的神功戲是慶祝觀音誕的。

Devotional performances of Cantonese opera are usually referred to those Cantonese operas performed in a temporary bamboo framed theater in rural areas where modern theater is not available. Devotional means these performances are devoted to the celebration of important events such as the birthday of deities, therefore they are usually held near the temple where the deity is enshrined. In this case, the performance was dedicated to Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy or Bodhisattva for her birthday.

傳統的臨時戲棚, 由於沒有空氣調節, 採開放式以利空氣流通。 The temporary theater is not air-conditioned, and an open-sided design is therefore adopted for better air circulation.

戲棚的結構着實令人讚嘆。 以木柱, 竹條, 木板和鉄皮(片) 就能蓋出一有舞台, 後台及能容納800人的戲棚, 易建易拆, 建材可循環使用, 既實際又環保, 老祖宗的智慧真的是不簡單。這次回港, 得小友檳兒相助, 能到西貢白沙湾觀賞神功戲。由於事前安排妥當, 我們安坐大堂前第一排, 並獲許拍照。只可惜自己行前太忙, 沒有做功課, 所以拍起來有點手足無措。再加上當時已是強弩之未, 全無機動性, 安坐掎中, 沒有從不同角度取景。回來後始識扼腕興嘆。不過,這次終於得償素願, 拍了一輯粵劇。 這次雖然並無佳作, 但得一群年輕好友作伴, 过了一個愉快的晚上, 實平生樂事!

I was lucky enough to have my friends in Hong Kong to make some arrangement so I could have a front row seat, right in front of the apron to enjoy, and take pictures of the performance. I had tried to cover as much as possible, however, this was my very first and I had no idea where I should have positioned my camera and what speed and aperture to use, etc. It was a shame that the situation was a bit intense for me to handle because I had decided to put my newly acquired camera to a test, I was more preoccupied with the technical issues of the camera rather than enjoying the show wholeheartedly. Anyway, zillion thanks to my young friends who had kept me company the entire evening, it was tons of fun !!

臺前   In front of the curtain:

舞台和觀眾席 。The stage and the house.

戲棚後搭有神龕供善信膜拜。 A tabernacle was set up at the back of the theater. Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy or Bodhisattva,  was enshrined in the tabernacle.

上香。 To say a prayer.

觀音大士。  Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy.

猜想是保安和私隱的理由, 後台全部用鉄片密封。The backstage was also constructed with wood and bamboo poles, outside was wrapped with metal sheets for security and privacy.

後台入口. Entrance to the backstage.

最後準備. Last minute preparation.

最後準備. Last minute preparation.

台前操演。Rehearsal on downstage.

觀音吉祥, 祈求合家平安。 Mascots to take home.

白沙湾觀音廟。 The temple of Bodhisattva is located nearby, across the street.

劇團海報. Poster showing the casts.

劇目。 Programs.

幕後  Behind the curtain :

這是一個很難得的機会。班主雖然答應讓我入後台看看, 但曾告知要有被工作人員”踢”出來的心理準備。那晚上七時半開鑼, 六時半前还未有很多人工作, 我就怱怱進去轉了一圈。後台比想像的大。台前一大佈景把台前和幕後分隔。這竹牆後就擺放着一列大型衣箱, 上面放冠帽架。中間就是貫通後台的通道。左方两進, 前面是用花布, 衣箱間隔成化粧間, 供大老倌使用。中有一”窄巷”通至第二進, 相信是其他演員的化粧處。由於”窄巷”內交通繁忙, 加上我全身披掛, 試了幾次都过不了。後來便被踢了出來。下面是幾張後台的隨拍。

The following picture shows the crossover of the backstage. A piece of scenery on the right separates the acting area (arena) and the backstage. The area on the left were  divided, by curtains and chests, into partitions to serve as dressing rooms for major actors and actresses. Behind these partition was believed to be a common area for secondary performers (while trying to walk in through a heavy traffic narrow “alley” to have a peek, I was “kicked” out of the that cramp space). The constructive bamboo poles doubled up as wardrobe for hanging costumes. Note the portable shrine on the right. Emperor Wah Guon (華光大帝) is believed to be the super being who oversees everything concerning traditional performing art.

貫通後台的通道。 The crossover.

粵劇戲班供奉華光大帝又叫五顯大帝, 五聖大帝、五通大帝為祖師，戲班演出開鑼前照例必須要在戲臺上祭拜祖師。 A portable shrine next to the entrance to the backstage.

西方劇院後台必有一公告板, 張貼演出安排及其他通告。此乃戲棚內的公告板。在尼龍繩上夾了幾張單子, 就是角色安排等細目。       A make shift “call board”, a bulletin board contains information of a production. It appeared to me that this is the game plan for the night’s performance.

花旦陳咏儀的衣箱。The chest of one of the leading actresses.

大老倌阮兆輝的衣箱。The chest of one of the leading actors.

廖國森先生的化粧間。他就是在六國大封相中演出鬚生坐車的那一位。I believe this dressing room was for Mr. Liu Kok Sum, he was the Sou Sang (鬚生) ,bearded role, in the opening episode.

雖然是第一天開鑼, 化粧台物品一應俱全。Close up of his desk.

六國大封相所用的聖旨。 The Emperor’s order used in the scene.

阮兆輝先生的化粧間。 Judged by the costumes, I believe this was Mr. Yuan’s dressing room.

花旦陳詠儀小姐的頭飾。Miss Chan Wing Yee’s, the leading actress (Faa Daan, young belle), head dresses.

頭飾安放得井井有條。 More head dresses.

綉花鞋。 Her shoes.

戲班的衣箱。This chest is marked for general use.

冠帽架 Head dresses.

實用的衣櫃。 Bamboo poles come in handy.

首演主角所用戲服。These costumes were used in that’s night episodes.

老倌化粧間後的第二進, 有點擁擠。This is the only picture I had of the common area on the back of those dressing rooms. That was a cramp space and I was “kicked” out the minute they saw the intruder.

由入口另一邊回望後台通道。Crossover seen from the other side of the entrance.

化粧 – 跟西方劇院不同, 一般粤劇劇團沒有專任化粧師, 演員的化粧都是自己動手的, 就是大老倌亦如是。據悉, 以前的化粧特別濃, 乃因鄉間照明不佳, 不化濃粧, 台下看戲的連演員的眼耳口鼻都分不清。現代舞台照明不錯, 粧化得比較淡, 但化粧的方式(如描鳳眼等)則仍依古例。

Make-up – Unlike their western counterparts, actors and actresses of Cantonese opera have to apply make-up themselves. It is said that the style of make-up has been changing from heavily painted (similar to that of a geisha) to currently a lighter one.

化粧 Make-up – 1

化粧 Make-up – 2

化粧 Make-up – 3

化粧 Make-up – 4

化粧 Make-up – 5

化粧 Make-up – 6

開鑼前寧静的一刻。 A break before the show.

泰國行脚:化緣及其他 Thailand: Morning alms round, etc

泰國行脚之化緣  Alms offering in Thailand or binderbaht ( บิณฑบาต ) as it is called in Thai.

相信任誰都不会否認泰國是佛教國家, 2000年人口普查顯示全國94.6%的人口篤信佛教。國內寺院林立, 香火鼎盛。早上化緣的僧侶到處可見, 善信亦踴躍布施。這種情形從曼谷至泰北都一樣。泰國僧侶按例不可屯積食物, 亦不能自行炊食, 所以只能在清晨外出化緣。由於泰國僧侣都遵守過午不食,信眾從清晨開始就會供僧布施。 尤其是市集附近, 到處有售適當的食物和鮮花作化緣之用。據說布施多少不拘, 重要是其供僧積德的行為。午後僧侣不能進食一般食物, 但下面這些營養品是容許的: 酥油, 牛油, 蜜糖, 乳酪, 糖/糖漿。下面這個綱文是一西方僧人寫的泰國化緣經騐, 第一手資料, 可讀性高: What do monks eat for breafast?

With almost 95% of the total population (2000 census) are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition,  I guess nobody would doubt the statement that Thailand is a Buddhist country. Almost every man in Thailand will be a monk once in his life, to serve the Lord Buddha and learn the way of being a better being. Morning alms round is a common practice carry out by monks in early morning. Since they are not allowed to cook, nor to hoard food. Morning alms round is the only way they can obtain their food supply. However, they have to finish their last meal before noon. For the rest of the day, they can accept and consume five nutriments ~ ghee, butter, honey, cheese, sugar/syrup. There is a first hand info written by a western monk living in Thailand, here is the link: What do monks eat for breafast?

我在曼谷街頭一小市集見有四僧人守株待兔式的坐在路邊化緣。其中一位年紀較大的, 可能是德高望重的関係, 布施的善信要列隊等候。高僧旁有一人待候, 不停的從僧砵中移走善信剛放入的布施, 好讓下一位放入布施。此助理將布施分類放入旁邊的大尼龍袋子內。滿了以後就移交在路旁的電單車隊帶走。據說這些食物除了受布施僧人享用外, 餘者轉贈尼姑, 孤兒或無依者, 最後也成了寺院內貓狗的食糧。日夲僧人古時亦守過午不食古訓, 因地處北方, 僧人在冷天傍晚後饑腸轆轆, 將暖石納入懷中以止飢, 據說此為懷石料理之緣起。

市場內售賣供僧的食物。 Food for monks on sale.

這位就是市場內最多善信圍着的高僧。He is the most popular monk in that market, people line up to offer their alms.

摯誠奉獻。 Chanting before offering.

布施。 Alms offering

我無宗教信仰, 但好奇, 希望能嘹解各樣宗教对人的教化。以前到日夲, 義大利等地旅行時都有留心, 這次去泰國亦不例外。有幾次在市場內看化緣, 施主不分男女, 各階層都有。我們的司機, 聶溫先生, 是老實的泰國人, 木納拘謹。 有一次, 跟他閑聊, 請教他佛教對泰國社會的影响。我说:「大部份泰國人篤信佛教, 佛教教人為善, 泰國的社會一定很詳和安樂。大家安守夲份, 應該到夜不閉户的境界了吧?」

I had a chitchat with our Thai driver, Mr. N, who is a quiet, gentle and honest man. I said: “Since Thailand has such a high percentage of the entire population are Buddhists and it seems everybody is practicing the teaching of Buddha so seriously, Thailand must be a very honest society with a very low crime rate”. Mr. N laughed out loudly, he said: “85% of the followers are not genuine followers. They offer alms in the morning and make merits just like everyone else. However, they do all the bad things at the same time. This happens among monks. Some monks became a sugar-daddy at night, they exposed their true identity after getting drunk. There are 1-2 known cases each year reported on news…”

捷運系統上給僧侣讓位的牌子, 有意思。 A sign on the skytrain in Bangkok. I guess you don’t see this very often.

拘謹的聶溫先生聽後忽然開懷大笑, 說道: 「先生所言差矣。自稱佛教徒的人很多,其中約有85% 是”假信”的。所謂假信, 就是說他們一邊唸佛、布施, 另一邊則仍做不該做的事。我以前也做了很多壞事, 後來才洗心革面, 改过自新。」

In an article written by Richard Barrow entitled Life in a Thai Temple . He quoted the saying of another monk that “There are different kinds of monks here. Some are serious about being a monk. Others are here because they cannot do anything else.” He said further: “There are of course some bad monks. I know that the ones in the kuti next door to mine take drugs. They order the drugs by mobile phone and it is delivered to their door by motorcycle taxi in the evening.”

跟着他還告訴我些假僧侣的故事, 說每年總有一两個僧人因喬裝外出飲酒, 酒醉弄掉假髮而露出尾巴。我曾經以為他跟我開玩笑, 後來看了這篇西方僧人(出家一段時間, 在泰掛单) 在泰國的見聞, 原來有比飲花酒更甚者, 這篇很詳細談及一些局外人無法知道的事實(如僧侶吸毒等), 有興趣的請看: 泰國僧侶的一天 (英語, Life in a Thai temple)。

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民間信仰 Folk religion ~

幾乎所有泰國的大酒店和大公司在門外都供有神龕。我並不懂所供奉的是何方神聖, 但看來似以四面佛較多, 其他則多為印度教神明轉成的民間信仰。

There is literally a shrine on every business establishment, hotels, restaurants, department stores, etc in Thailand. I am not sure if those are Buddhism, I believe they are a kind of local believes derived mainly from Hinduism.

印度教神明  Amarinoradhiraja – deity from Hinduism

酒店門前所奉的神龕。A shrine in front of a hotel.

百貨公司門前所奉的神龕。 Shrine in front of a department store.

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四面佛在亞洲享有盛名, 港台不少商家和影藝界人仕均是其信徒。四面佛香火鼎盛, 善信終日川流不息, 現在更是外國遊客必遊之景點。四面佛所奉 Phra Phrom 神實為印度教神梵天。 梵天是創造之神，與毗濕奴和濕婆並列印度教三大主神。

The Erawan Shrine is probably the most popular shrine in Bangkok. Enshrined is a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai version of Hindu god Brahma. The popularity of this shrine is well extended to the whole Asia and even the US. it is said that a replica shrine is found in from of a casino in Las Vegas.

四面佛 The Hindu creation god Brahma.

善信川流不息。This is probably the most popular shrine in Bangkok.

還願. Thai dance troupes hired by worshipers in return for seeing their prayers answered.

中國色彩 Chinese influences

大城夏宮內的石獅。Statue near a shrine in the Summer Palace reflects Chinese influence in the Thai culture.

湄公河畔一中式廟宇。 A Chinese temple near the river in Bangkok.

廟宇內. Inside the temple.

曼谷機場的乳海翻騰塑像 Churning of the milky sea – Bangkok Airport – 印度教的影響  Influence of Hinduism

鄭王廟(黎明寺) Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)

曼谷行脚之三 ~ 鄭王廟      Bangkok Part 3 ~ Wat Arun

鄭王廟(亦稱鄭王寺或黎明寺)是湄南河西岸的一座寺院, 原稱橄欖樹寺 (Wat Makok)。 十八世紀大城王朝為緬甸所滅, 具華人血統的總督鄭信領兵殺出大城, 在湄南河西岸建立吞武里王朝, 鄭信將橄欖樹寺改名為黎明寺。華矞以鄭信為榮, 多稱此寺為鄭王廟。寺的最大特色為其主舍利塔, 由拉瑪一世 (Rama I) 的皇太子將原來52呎的塔加建至現時的270呎(塔的實際高度不詳, 有多種說法), 是泰國最高的佛塔。塔身嵌有數以百萬片的中國瓷片作裝飾, 美侖美奐。寺內有佛堂两間, 唯網上資料鮮有提及。主塔西面的佛堂香火頗盛, 但距主塔稍遠 (西北角)的佛堂遊人不多, 門可羅雀。其院子中有頗多的中國式石雕, 頗值細賞。

Situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river is the Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun. The most prominent feature of the temple is the central Khmer-styled pagoda (chedi, prang) which is decorated with million pieces of Chinese porcelain. At a height of ~270 feet (82 meters, reported height varies), the central chedi is claimed to be the tallest in Thailand. Visitors are allowed to climb to a higher level to enjoy the view of the river. However, little is mentioned online about the two viharns on the premises.

拾級而上, 右為主塔, 左為副塔. Climbing up the central pagoda.

主塔雄姿. The main pagoda (prang).

副塔壁龕內的騎像 (鄭王? 待考)。 The statue in a niche of a secondary pagoda.

塔的裝飾, 花紋是用中國瓷片砌出。 Yasha(s) supporting the pagoda, note the small Chinese porcelain pieces.

佛堂屋頂.    Multi-tiered roof of one of the viharns.

西北角佛堂的天花。The ceiling of a viharn.

西北角佛堂內的中庭。 The naive of a viharn.

西北角佛堂的坐佛。 The main Buddha image on the altar.

位於主塔西面的佛堂, 香火鼎盛。The naive of the viharn next to the chedis. There were more devotees in this viharn.

佛堂內蓋滿金箔的佛像。 One of the Buddha image covered with gold foils.

禮佛鮮花。  Flower for Lord Buddha.

佛堂周圍不少此等中國雕像。 There are quite a few of these Chinese stone figures on the premises.

實在太美了。 A life size carved stone figure, just gorgeous.

大卧佛寺 Wat Pho

曼谷行脚之ニ ~ 大卧佛寺  Bangkok Part 2 ~ Wat Pho or Wat Phra Chetupho

曼谷大卧佛寺距皇宮和玉佛寺一箭之遙, 参觀完皇宮, 安步當車, 穿过街上賣故舊的攤販, 來到著名的卧佛寺。由于我們下面還要趕去河對岸的鄭王廟, 所以看完卧佛就怱怱離開。其實卧佛寺佔地頗廣, 有凉廊, 塔 和大介堂。卧佛寺以前更有葯殿, 且是泰式按摩的發源地, 現仍有泰式按摩學校, 不少遊客慕名而來。卧佛殿為一長方形建築, 巨大的卧佛 (15m 高 x 43m 長)的前和後共們二十多根巨柱支撑屋頂, 加上善信和遊客眾多, 無法拍得一側面全體照。所以我自柱間各拍一照, 從佛頭和脚的位置也拍了些, 用併圖方式併成卧佛, 頗有趣味。

Enshrined in one of the most oldest or biggest temple in Bangkok is this colossal reclining Buddha image (15m x 43m). The huge supporting columns are blocking the view from either side. Pictures taken from the feet area doesn’t do the justice of showing the elegance of the image. I therefore put together some pictures in the form of collage to show every sides of the image.

併圖展示卧佛的各部。Collage to show the reclining Buddha in different angles.

由於室內的照明和窗外透入的光線令大卧佛各位的亮度不一樣, 這裡是手持超廣角鏡連拍三張, 以HDR合成的。                                The color temperature and the light intensity are quite different from one area to the other. Thanks to HDR, I was able to put this together to show the view of the reclining Buddha with an ultra wide angle lens.

這是從卧佛頭部向脚望去。 From head to toe, taken with an ultra wide angle lens.

兩柱間所見。 Seen in between two colums.

Photo taken from the shoulder down.

我喜欢此照, 女仕後的走廊, 遊人如梭, 喧嘩異常。我搶拍一張, 紀錄此方寸淨土。               I love this picture, so serene….. despite the fact that there were a million people passing by her back.

從脚板處回望, 此處萬人空巷, 最諷刺的是放了一個”慎防扒手”的牌子。為存忠厚, 不拍入鏡中。Seen from the toes.

佛陀脚趾與左方巨柱陣。The Lord Buddha’s toes and the giant columns that support the roof.

佛陀脚板嵌有貝画, 分成108塊, 分別顯示代表佛陀的象徵。 The foot of the reclining Buddha are divided into 108 panels with inlaid of mother-of-pearl auspicious symbols which represents  the Lord Buddha,

中间最大的一片似有坐佛。The panel in the middle is the biggest and has a seated Buddha image.

佛印 ~ 鏡頭外左方處人山人海, 都擠着在那裡拍照, 看此圖無法想像。There are approximately a thousand people standing on the left at the moment this picture was taken.

卧佛的背面。 The back of the reclining Buddha.

在卧佛的背面排有108個僧砵, 供善信布施。These are the 108 bowls indicating the 108 auspicious character of Lord Buddha. Devotees are dropping coins/offering money in these bowls as it is believed that this will bring good fortune and building merit.

卧佛背後柱間所奉坐佛。A seated Buddha image at the back of the reclining Buddha.

卧佛螺髮及頭枕 ~ 精雕細琢。The head of Buddha is supported by the two box-pillows with blue glass mosaics.

室內壁画。 The walls are covered with mural.

室內壁画。 Mural.

黑漆描金窗。Black lacquer window.

比丘行列。Monks at work.

鮮花禮佛。Offering to the Lord Buddha.

這相信是大佛寺的佛堂, 留待下次再來。I believe this is the roof of the West viharn outside the ubosot.

中國將軍守衛着園子。A Chinese general is guarding the yard.

曼谷皇宮和玉佛寺 Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo

上圖 ~~ 自西望向玉佛寺及皇宮, 大部份皇宮在圖的右方外面, 不開放参觀。圖正中前方為 Phra Si Rattana 塔,其後尖頂為凉閣(mondop, 即mandapa), 再其後為 皇家廟。右方大型建築即玉佛寺, 供奉着泰人奉為最神聖的玉佛像。左邊的建築物是皇家陵墓。往東去建有南北向一列八座塔。此區域四面有廻廊環繞, 廻廊內有相當精緻, 號稱世界最長的壁画。

The picture ~ Right in the middle is the Phra Si Rattana Chedi, the dark building behind it is the Phra Mandop, the one behind the mandop is the Royal Pantheon. The building on the right is the sacred Bot of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaeo. The building on the left is the Ho Phra Nak (Royal Mausoleum). On the east side of the complex, there is a row of eight chedis which are not visible on this picture. The whole area is surrounded by cloister which is called the Ramakien Gallery showing the world’s longest mural.

 曼谷行脚之一 ~ 皇宮和玉佛寺  Bangkok Part 1 ~ Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo

曼谷是近代泰國皇朝的首都, 建於大城皇朝之後。皇宮始建於 1782年, 旨在確立新首都, 提供供奉玉佛的地方和供皇室居住的地方。皇室後來移居Dusit的宮殿, 但此皇宮仍為舉行國家大典之地。由於玉佛寺內所奉之玉佛在泰人心目中的地位崇高, 所以玉佛寺是朝聖者和遊客必遊之地。

The site consists of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo where the most sacred Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaeo) is housed. The construction of the compound began in 1782 to mark the founding of the new capital, after the Ayuttaya regime, as well as to provide a temple for the sacred Emerald Buddha and an official palace for the royal family. Although the Palace is no longer served as the main residence for the Thai monarchy, however, it is still being used for state ceremonies.

儀仗隊   Honor guards

找不到資料, 未知此塑像是誰。 Couldn’t find any info about this statue yet.

泰式建築屋頂中央的尖塔….Beautiful Thai style roof top with tapering spire….

和層叠式的瓦面。… and multi-tiered roofs.

迴廊西口的巨型門神, 有人稱之為 Yaksha (夜义), 未知是否正確。 40-50 feet tall standing ‘Yaksha’ guard flanks the gate.

凉廊(閣), 相信是自印度 mandapa 建築轉变而來。書上多以此作為泰式Mondop的代表, 此建築有點不同, 用作藏經閣。右為皇室廟。Phra Mondop ~ This is a beautiful example of Thai mondop (the counterpart of Indian’s mandapa). This mondop serves as the library.

佛塔 ~ 據說內奉佛祖胸骨。The main chedi,  Phra Si Rattana Chedi, it is said that a piece of bone of the Lord Buddha is housed in this chedi.

佛塔。 The base of the chedi.

佛塔。 Chedi

佛塔外的小瓷磚。 The tiles on the chedi.

佛塔。 Chedi

玉佛寺   Bot of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaeo.

玉佛 ~ 那天因有儀式, 無緣進入玉佛寺, 只好用長鏡遠遠的拍一張。    The Bot of the Emerald Buddha was closed that day, this picture was taken from outside.

三角牆上的裝飾。Details of decoration on the pediment of a small building.

門上漆画。 Lacquer painting on a locked passageway to Wat Phra Kaeo.

門神。All the gates are guarded by Yaksha.

門神。The famous Yaksha guardian.

凉廊前的佛像。A seated Buddha image at the corner of the mondop.

皇廟前的佛龕。In front of the Royal Pantheon.

塔四面的門。Beautiful glass mosaic on windows of the niche of the chedi.

這是一碑型石, 上蓋有漂亮的小凉廊, 猜想是玉佛寺的介石。I believe this is one of the sema stones set at the corner of premises of Wat Phra Kaeo.

迴廊的屋頂. The roof of the cloister.

西面迴廊的入口通道, 由天將護法。裡面就是著名的壁画。The west gate of the cloister, these multi-tiered roof shelters the famous mural below.

拉馬堅壁画: 玉佛寺園區四周建有迴廊, 廊內有號稱全世界最長的壁画, 共178牆, 描述拉馬堅(Ramakian/Ramakien)的整個故事。拉馬堅故事源於ニ千多年前的印度史詩 Ramayana。 Rama 是阿逾陀國王子, yana 是歷險故事之意, 故事其實是描述毗濕奴神在世上轉世的故事。拉馬堅雖源自印度, 但泰國人仍視之為泰國國家的史詩。正在網上找Ramakien 壁画的故事資料, 未找到前, 下面照片解說只能留白。

The Ramakian (or Ramakien) Gallery: Claimed to be the longest mural in the world, consists of 178 panels of murals depicting the complete story of the Ramakien which is the Thai version of the Hindu epic ” Ramayana ” written over 2000 years ago. The Ramayana is a long epic concerning the reincarnation on earth of the Hindu God Vishnu. Despite the fact that the story of Ramakien was mainly based on Hindu epic Ramayana, it is considered to be the national epic of Thailand. On the day of our visit, the steamy heat was brutal, we had to give up our ambition to look around the cloister. We “finished” half of the cloister, and saved the rest for next time.

哈奴曼神猴- 毗濕奴的第七化身, Rama 王子的追随者。Hunoman the monkey in a mural.

哈奴曼神猴- 毗濕奴的第七化身, Rama 王子的追随者。Hanuman is a Hindu deity who is an ardent devotee of Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, and a central character in the Indian epic Ramayan.

哈奴曼神猴放大圖。 Enlargment of the above.

門神。Door guardian on west entrance.

門神。Door guardian on west entrance.

壁画 Mural – 1

壁画 Mural – 2

壁画 Mural – 3

壁画 Mural – 4

壁画 Mural – 5

初中生参觀皇宮, 在画廊前進餐。 Junior high kids having a break in front of the gallery during their field trip.

壁画 Mural – 6

壁画 Mural – 7

壁画 Mural – 8

皇家廟西面的梯式金塔。One of the two Chedis in front of the Royal Pantheon.

托着塔的天神。The Yahsha.

托着塔的天神。The Yahsha.

皇家廟西面有八座高棉式塔。Six of the eight Khmer-styled chedis on the west side of the premises.

皇家宗廟中央的塔型尖頂。Instead of a tapering spire, there is a Khmer chedi-like structure in the middle of the Royal Pantheon.

塔四面壁龕. The niches of the chedis.

皇宮的窗户。 Windows of the Palace.

皇宮的窗户。 Windows of the Palace.

左邊的宮殿 ( Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat?) 以歐洲文藝復興風建成, 唯屋頂仍作泰式; 正前方宮殿則為傳統泰式。                The building on the left is constructed with  European (Renaissance) style body and a traditional Thai roof while the one across is pure Thai style.

整體為傳統泰式的宮殿。 A building of the Grand Palace, traditional Thai architecture.

屋頂上金翅大鵬。 What appears to be a Garuda below the tapering spire of the roof.

在院子裡, 到處可見中國式石刻人像, 多作武像造形, 其他如仕女或石獅都有。據說都是十八世紀時中泰貿易暢旺時, 運貨船從中國回程, 用這些石雕像作為壓艙物。後來被廣泛佈置於皇宫和各大寺院中作為裝飾。有趣的是我很少在中國看过類似的人物石雕, 未知來自何處。

In this premises, and other large temples in Bangkok as well, it is hard to miss those almost life-sized stone figures with ancient Chinese features. They are said to be ballast of the ships bought over from China during the 18th century when there were a great deal of trading between the two countries. They were subsequently presented to the King, and have been used as decorations in the temples and palaces. They are pretty “abundant” , can be seen in major temples in Bangkok. What amazes me the most is the fact that I don’t seem to have seen them in China.

石雕像-1 Chinese stone figure -1

石雕像-2 Chinese stone figure -2

石雕像-3  Chinese stone figure -3

清邁泰北~完結篇 Northern Thailand ~ Finale

Angkor Wat ? No, Chiang Mai.

泰北行腳之ニ十四 : 泰北完結篇   Northern Thailand: Part 24 ~ Finale

這是泰北行腳的第二十四篇, 這裡放一輯拉拉雜雜的照片, 作為泰北行的句號。這次泰北之旅, 雖然行色怱怱, 着實也看了不少。泰國真是一美麗的國度, 尤其是路况奇佳, 泰北地處邊陲,環境尚且不錯 。This is my 24th post on Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai, before we say goodbye to this beautiful area of Thailand,  I want to show you a bunch of beautiful pictures as the finale of this series.

1. 少數民族村 – 麗蘇村和長頸村。 Minority Villages – Lisu Village and Long Neck Village

十分鄉土的建築。Traditional elevated house.

巧手的婆婆 Handy granny.

手法嫻熟。She's really good.

不知名的花。 Breathtakingly beautiful.

可愛的小孩。 He's cute.

下層作車庫。 Their open "basement" serves as a garage.

長頸族~美麗與哀愁?! The long neck tribe.

這是我的家啊。This is our home.

2. 蘭花園和蝴蝶園~ 這是清邁近郊的蘭花園。 泰國雖以蘭花出名, 但這裡所見並不特別好。蝴蝶園更是不值一提。Orchid Farm and Butterfly Farm~ On the north side of the city of Chiang Mai, the orchid farm was just average, the butterfly farm does not worth mentioning.

世界第二大的皇蛾, Attacus atlas~ 令人緬懷那些養蟲的日子。 The world's second largest moth, Attacus atlas, the wing span of a female can reach 11 inches.

黑脉樺斑蝶 (?) The common tiger, Danaus genutia (?)

3. 高棉建築 Khmer architecture in Chiang Mai

離開清邁往清萊的途中, 大部份的司機都會在一有熱噴泉的市集稍作停留。這組高棉建築就在市集往北不遠處。我在毫無心理準備見到此建築, 驚為天人, 馬上請司機先生剎停。原來這裡是新建的 spa 美容中心, 充分利用附近的熱噴泉。司機先生說工程大致完成, 但未知何故仍未啟用。對我來說, 這是高棉式建築無疑(其實心中有惑,哈哈!), 矮牆上的仙女浮雕和窗的欄杆令人想起吳哥窟之美。拍照留念。

About an hour drive north of Chiang Mai next to a shopping mall that has a natural hot spring, I found this group of buildings standing on the road side. It appeared to be a newly constructed building complex with Khmer features, just like those seen in Angkor Wat. There was not a single soul near the compound, it was deserted. Our driver said, this was built to be a spa, it was still being built, he had no idea why there was no one there. Anyway, the buildings were just simply gorgeous.

似曾相識, 吳哥女王廟? Reminds me of Angkor Wat.

4. 青島岩洞 ~ 很多年青朋友喜歡到青島山上去遠足, 山下的岩洞是泰北景點之一, 裡面有不少佛像, 據說很多是緬甸撣族供奉的。如果你行程緊凑, 岩洞不來也沒有多大的損失。Chiang Dao ~ under the mountain of Doi Chiang Dao, there is a network of underground caves that runs for miles. The caves house statues of Buddha, it is said that some of those were left by Shan pilgrims from Burma.

岩壁上的佛龕。 Shrine on a "cliff" outside the cave.

岩洞入口。 Entrance to the cave.

岩洞頗長, 但無過人景色。 Well, nothing spectacular.

岩洞內祭壇之一。 Shrine in the cave-1.

岩洞內祭壇之一。 Shrine in the cave-2.

岩洞內祭壇之一。 Shrine in the cave-3.

高手。Very skillful.

5. 酒店內的裝飾~ 此行住了幾間酒店, 蠻喜歡他們的傳統裝飾。 Most of the hotels we stayed were were nicely decorated, I love their traditional decoration, particularly those wood carvings and paintings.

此木雕似是潘圖寺殿堂門楣上的裝飾。 This wood carving reminds me of the decoration seen on the pediment of Wat Phan Toa.

酒店大堂的坐椅。 Chairs in a hotel lobby.

清邁帕星寺 Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai

泰北行腳之ニ十三 : 清邁帕星寺   Northern Thailand: Part 23

清邁帕星寺是清邁大寺之一, 主殿規模頗大, 而蘭納式的藏經閣非常有名, 外面的泥塑浮雕仙女詡詡如生。那天早上起個大清早, 單槍匹馬搶攻三寺, 帕星寺是最後一间, 同行眾人已在酒店等我吃早飯然後上路, 所以只能怱怱的轉了一個圈。帕星寺始建於1345年, 建築上以蘭納式的介堂(印象是開放的, 就在大佛殿的西面)和藏經閣著名。泰文帕星實指寺內於1367年所奉之獅佛。

Wat Phra Singh is one of the most important monasteries in Chiang Mai. The monastery is named after the main Buddha image, the Lion Buddha, once housed in the viharn in the early days of the history of the monastery (?). The monastery was built in the year of 1345. It is said that the most sacred Emerald Buddha was once housed here before residing in Wat Chedi Luang and eventually in Wat Pra Kaew, Bangkok.

從大門內望大佛殿前廣場. Looking to the main viharn from the entrance gate.

大佛殿的楣飾, 三角牆上的毗濕奴在其坐騎金翅大鵬上。The intricate, elaborate decoration of the pediment. Decorated the pediment is Vishnu ( Phra Narai in Thai), the emblem of king, mounted on Garuda.

禱。 Say a prayer.

大佛殿的主佛 。The seated Buddha image, Phra 'Chao Tong Tip, (?) in the main viharn (Viharn Luang).

泰圝寺院常有詡詡如生的高僧像。 Life like statues of some monks on the side altar.

黑漆描金画。Lacquer window.

黑漆描金画。Lacquer window.

著名的藏經閣。The famous library, ho trai, seen between the columns of Viharn Luang.

著名的藏經閣。The library.

蘭納式泥塑仙女。Beautiful deities guarding the windows.

蘭納式泥塑仙女。Lanna-styled stucco decoration on pediment.

窗台的裝飾。The window of the main viharn.

佛殿屋脊上的護法傘。The protective parasol on the ridge of the viharn.

這裡應該是介堂的入口, 楣飾為蘭納式。The decoration of the entrance to bot (?), which is considered to be a fine example of Lanna architecture.

介堂內東望大佛堂。Looking to the west side of Viharn Luang.

介堂內東望大佛堂。Looking to the west side of Viharn Luang.

介堂內佛龕, 古香古式的。The altar of the bot.

介堂內佛龕。Buddha images on the altar of the bot.

介堂內佛龕。Buddha images on the altar of the bot.

塔。The chedi.

清邁市集 Chiang Mai Markets

泰北行腳之ニ十ニ : 清邁市集   Northern Thailand: Part 22

周六夜市: 清邁市集很多, 到處都有, 南門(清邁門), 北門, 長康路等都是。另外有周末才開的周六夜市和周曰夜市。周六夜市在清邁門往南走的銀器街上。黄昏前開始, 汽車禁止通行, 商販沿路擺賣, 摩肩擦踵, 熱鬧非常, 下面幾張照片大家看看。

Saturday night market: There are many markets in Chiang Mai, not to mentioned those cooked-food markets around Chiang Mai Gate and Chang Klan Road. There are two popular ones to be held on weekends, the Saturday night market and the Sunday market.The market is held every Saturday from later afternoon till midnight) on Wua Lai Road, the south side of the Old City, also know as the Silver Road where the silver shops are located, you can find everything here in this mile-long market.

玻璃藝術家。 A glass artist.

例牌 T shirt。 I love Chiang Mai.

很想吃, 排隊的人很多。 All kinds of noodles.

真的好想吃。 Soup with blood pudding, bamboo shoot, fishing ball, quail eggs...

一個漂亮的歐洲女孩買了一把, 看我在拍, 大方的伸過來要我試, 不大甜, 也不像糖果, 但也不難吃。顏色倒是有點怕人。 Thai dessert? An European girl bought some and offered me some, I tried a piece, the yellow one, it was surprisingly mind.

漂亮的少數民族街頭音樂家。 A beautiful musician from one of the many minority groups in Chiang Mai.

香腸丸子。 Sausage, I believe.

銀匠在現場打銀。Silversmith at work.

佛腳印。 Lord Buddha's foot print.

*************************************************************************************

周日夜市: 周日夜市擺攤在城內, 由塔佩門沿 Ratchadamnoen Road 向西行, 橫過城中, 規模比周六夜市還大。賣的東西倒是大同小異, 不過有較多的自製小美術品擺賣, 我們也就隨便逛逛。

Sunday Market: The famous Sunday Market is held on Ratchadamnoen Road, from Tha Pae Gate to the west side of the city. It appeared to me that there were more vendors than that of the Saturday Market, and they offered more variety of artistic stuff here.

傳統的燈飾。Traditional lanterns

新潮的燈飾。Modern version of illumination.

新潮的燈飾。Modern version of illumination.

有趣的掛毯。A hanging quilt, a Thai story with English interpretation, interesting.

手作賀卡。 Designed, made and sold by the local artist, beautiful designs.

燈罩。Thai lamp shades

潘安寺的庭園開放成食街, 坐無虛席。 The yard of Wat Pan On serves as a food court during the Sunday Market.

日夲風泰式桌燈。 These appeared to be Japanese-inspired lamps with Thai designs.

手作匙扣。 Key chains by local artist.

************************************************************************************

Warorot 市場: 在長庚路夜市的西北處, 由清早到半夜都營業, 很大的市場, 周圍的商舖也多。裡面的東西真是琳瑯滿目, 你能想要的, 這裡都有。我們從一位說廣東話的華僑處買了一些龍眼肉(桂圓肉)回港送親友, 人見人愛, 品質好又便宜。

Warorot Market: On the east side of the Old City, a short walk from Chiang Klan Road Night Bazaar. Appeared to be a market for the locals, they literally have everything you need here inside the market. The market is huge (more than one building?), you’ll lose yourself if you don’t pay attention where you are going.

看到這金鋪, 你就知是夲地人的市集。Whenever you see a goldsmith like this, you know this is a favorite market for locals.

琳瑯滿目。 They literally have everything here.

是芒果嗎? Looks good, 80 baht (US$2.60) per lb or kg? no clue.

泰國產台灣引進的烏龍茶很不錯。 All kinds of tea ~~ They have two varieties of oolong tea, #6 #12, both were introduced from Taiwan, good stuff.

油炸食物。 Would you care for some .....

上層賣衣服鞋襪。The second level is for "fashion".

新鮮菇類, 野菜等。 Neatly packed produce.

小啓 Just a note

不知怎的, 這裡放的照片 , 總有點不夠清晰的感覺, 令人不快。 但如果將滑鼠放在照上click一下, 就可將照片放大, 而且比較清晰, 只是 click 來 click 去, 有點煩, 有興趣的朋友可試試。        I don’t know why, but the pictures posted here are not sharp at all, despite the fact that I have uploaded larger files. Anyway, by clicking on a particular picture, you’ll have a sharper picture, give it a try if interested.

清邁大塔寺 Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai

泰北行腳之ニ十一 : 清邁大塔寺   Northern Thailand: Part 21

去年的泰國行行程緊凑, 真的是夙興夜寐, 有幾天早上早餐前就出去了, 看幾間廟再回來吃早飯。参觀過大大小小的寺院有五十間之譜。還有好多間重要的寺院都沒時間去呢。整理這些照片和相関資料也曠日彌久, 已有點強弩之末的感覺, 文字也就愈寫愈簡, 看官莫怪。

清邁大塔寺乃清邁最大寺院, 香火鼎盛。寺始建於十四世紀, 初時的伽藍布局與現在的迴異。現在的大塔寺其實是合併了三間寺院而成。現存的大塔修建至十五世紀中葉始成。建成的巨塔高達72公尺(270 呎), 塔基寬54(有說44?)公尺, 在中世紀的清邁, 是少見的龐然大物, 鶴立雞群,一支獨秀。可惜1545年的强力地震把塔上部震垮, 現僅存60公尺。寺中有數佛殿, 主佛殿頗具規模,建於1928, 重修於1999年。佛殿祭壇供奉三尊立像, 居中主佛稱 十八肘尺佛(或十八腕尺佛Phra Chao Attarot), 右手施無畏印。左手下垂, 線條優美。在塔的西面供有大卧佛, 造形甚佳。

Wat Chedi Luang or Monastery of the Great Stupa. This monastery is probably on every visitor’s must see list. It features a monumental pagoda which was toppled by a earthquake in 1545. Even by today’s standard, the chedi is huge, the following google satellite pictures shows the size of the base of the pagoda which stills stands tall among its neighbors. The campus is also the site of  the city pillar of the city of Chiang Mai. The viharn is a modern (1928) construction, it contains one of the most beautiful Buddha images we have seen in Thailand. The image is called Phra Chao Attarot (eighteen-cubit Buddha) which was cast in the late 14th century (King Saen Muang Ma) with brass alloy.

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1. 衛星圖顯示大塔寺的大塔及各建築物相関位置。Satellite picture of Wat Chedi Luang shows the enormous size of the chedi as compared to the size of the whole campus of Wat Phan Tao next door.

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2. 由西南方望主佛殿。The viharn, looking from southwest.

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3. 主佛殿前廣場中供有坐佛。 The facade of the Viharn.

4. 大塔寺的華麗名匾。 Wat Chedi Luang

5. 主佛殿東門 East entrance of the viharn.

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6.  主佛殿東門上眉飾。The intricate decoration of the kong khieu (the pelmet that is said to represent the eyebrows of Lord Buddha) and the panels above.

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7.  主佛殿東門天龍護法。 Nagas guarding the entrance of the main viharn.

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8. 圖示天龍實出自一鱷形水獸makara 之口。 Naga coming out from the mouth of a makara, a mystical water beast.

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9. 主佛殿東門上楣飾。 The pediment (gable) above the main entrance.

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10. 主佛殿氣派不凡。This magnificent viharn was built in 1928 and renovated in 1999.

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11. 主壇上立佛; 殿中大柱皆黑漆描金。The nave of the viharn. In the middle is the large standing Buddha image.

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12. 主祭壇。 The main altar.

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13. 中央之立佛稱十八肘尺佛(一肘尺/腕尺=中指尖至肘関節之長度), 右手施無畏印。左手下垂, 線條優美。左右兩尊未悉何方神聖, 想為左右協侍菩薩。背光”板”的設計甚佳, 華而不俗。 This Buddha image is called Phra Chao Attarot or eighteen-cubit Buddha. I love the line of the left hand, so graceful. However, I couldn’t find any info about the two disciples.

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14. 佛殿門窗皆作黑底金描漆画, 極其細緻優雅。Elaborate lacquer painting on a window.

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15. 實在太喜歡佛殿窗上的裝飾画。 由於金漆反光, 拍攝頗困難。Elaborate lacquer painting on a window.

16-1. 佛殿外牆窗楣上楣飾. Beautiful decoration above the window, outside wall.

16. 佛殿外牆窗楣上的泥塑楣飾及金木雕, 金木雕設計多樣, 見下两圖。 Beautiful decoration above the window, outside wall.

16-2. 佛殿外牆窗楣上楣飾. Beautiful decoration above the window, outside wall.

16-3. 佛殿外牆窗楣上楣飾. Beautiful decoration above the window, outside wall.

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17. 簷架的設計亦美不勝收。Eave brackets (hu chang means elephant ears) outside the main viharn.

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18. 佛堂西面簷下所奉坐佛。A solo traveler is reading his guide book in front of the Buddha image on the back of the main viharn.

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19. 自西北角上望巨塔, 不難想像大塔昔日雄姿。This is the pagoda that the name Wat Chedi Luang is referred to.

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20. 大塔西面, 上望供佛塔龕。The west side of the chedi. Note the Sinhalese style elephants on the base of the chedi (right).

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21. 大塔西面, 天龍守護天梯(已封)。塔基二層有錫蘭式大象。Nagas guarding the “stairs” to the chedi (west side). Gorgeous nagas guarding the staircase of west side of the chedi.

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22. 塔的東南面。南面塔基上層有修復之錫蘭式大象。An earthquake in 1545 toppled the top 30 meters of the chedi. Note elephants guarding the upper level of the base on the east side of the chedi.

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23. 主佛殿西面的大卧佛, 造型典雅。Across the west side of the chedi, a chapel houses this beautiful reclining Buddha image.

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24. 卧佛旁所奉之佛像, 皆作觸地印, 惜無英文說明。Buddha images next to the reclining Buddha. Couldn’t find any info about these two images.

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25. 此彌勒佛式的佛像未悉是何方神聖。Couldn’t find any info about this image.

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26. 小佛堂 A small viharn.

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27. 紀念高僧Acharn Mun Bhuridatto 的蘭納式佛堂。The Lanna-styled Viharn of Venerable Acharn Mun Bhuridatto, Supreme mentor of forest monks.

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28. 蘭納式泥塑天龍, 太美了。I just love these elaborate, intricate Lanna style decorations.

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29. 佛堂中庭, 供奉高僧塑像。The nave of the Viharn. The statue of the Venerable Acharn Mun Bhuridatto.

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30. 佛堂外側精美木刻。Beautiful carving of the window.

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31. 相信此乃高僧之骨塔, 旁為双翅龍腦香樹(神木)。I believe this is the chedi housing the ash of the supreme mentor. On the left, there is a gigantic Dipterocarp tree.

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32. 泰國大城市多有「市柱」, 泰人相信市柱為城市守護神的居所, 市柱通常供奉在寺廟內。清邁市供奉於大佛殿旁的建築內,後為双翅龍腦香樹(神木)。在地人相信大塔寺的三棵双翅龍腦香樹神木有護城神力。Lak Mueang (Thai:หลักเมือง) are City pillars found in most cities of Thailand. This building next to the main viharn houses the City Pillar or the Spirit of Chiang Mai. The building is not open to the public.

清邁塔佩門內三小寺 Three Gem Monasteries Inside Tha Pae Gate, Chinag Mai

泰北行腳之ニ十 : 清邁舊城塔佩門內三小寺   Northern Thailand: Part 20

清邁寺院眾多, 給我的感覺就像佛羅倫斯的教堂一樣, 五步一樓, 十步一閣。泰國不能說是很富裕的國家, 但大多寺院都修輯得美侖美奐, 並開放四方善信自由参拜, 不收門卷, 更無不法之徒”強迫”上香。僧侶善目慈顏, 令人賓至如歸。這裡介紹由塔佩門向西行所見三間寺院, 都不大, 但頗有看頭。Besides of high humidity, walking on the streets of Chiang Mai was a pleasant experience. Similar to that of Florence, there are religious institutions around every corner in the city. Even better, most of them are photogenic, no admission fees, and you can always expect a warm welcome. Here are three small gems you can see on your way to the famous Wat Chedi Luang from Tha Pae Gate.

I. 潘安寺  Wat Phan On (Pan On)

潘安寺(音譯)是塔佩門入城後向西行的第二座寺院。院中有匾說明寺始建於1501年。寺院建築美侖美奐, 香火頗盛。每逢周曰,市集沿 Rachadamnoen Road 擺賣, 寺院廣場上亦有熟食檔擺賣, 高朋滿座, 熱鬧非常。

A plaque inside the temple mentioned that the temple was built around 1501 in King Phra Muang Kaeo’s reign when Lanna was flourishing with arts and culture. This is indeed a beautiful temple. The ground of the temple is open to public and serves as a food court and resting place when the Sunday market is in business.

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1. 從庭園中向東望, 後為佛堂。Looking east, the chedi and the viharn on the back.

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2. 佛堂建築較獨特, 似為兩層, 上層有露台。The viharn appeared to have two storeys and a balcony which is not a common feature.

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3. 佛堂的中庭。The nave of the viharn.

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4. 祭壇上的主佛像。 The main Buddha image.

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5. 緬甸式獅子護法。A Burmese style lion guarding the entrance to the viharn. On the background is the chedi.

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6. 緬甸式佛塔, 四方有佛龕奉佛像; 塔的四角有傘幔護法。A Burmese chedi with a niche at each cardinal point and a parasol on each corner.

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7. 佛龕中所奉佛像。 好喜歡那金色菩提樹的圖案。Buddha image in one of the niches of the chedi.

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8. 砲彈樹, 此樹原生於美洲熱帶區, 後據說其木質花序自幹長出, 似天龍盤在樹上保護成正覺的佛祖, 故被引入廣植東南亞佛教國度云云. I found this beautiful flower on one of the stree in the yard, I was told that this is a Cannonball tree.

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II. 木蘭寺  Wat Muen Larn (Muen Lan)

木蘭寺是進入塔佩門西行所見的第一所寺院, 佔地不廣, 網上亦沒法找到太多的資料。似乎除了周日之外, 門庭有點冷清。周日市集開擺時, 整個寺院的空地都擺着攤販, 熱鬧非常。由於泰國寺院通常都是美侖美奐, 木蘭寺的緬甸式塔, 介堂和佛堂沒有突出之處。唯獨是其藏經閣建築頗為特別 (想是蘭納式吧)。藏經閣門窗上的楣飾, 雖然是双龍的傳統設計, 但可能是因嵌有彩色玻璃片, 感覺特別的亮麗。

Wat Muen Larn is a small monastery located only a few steps west of Tha Pae Gate. To my untrained eyes, the monastery appeared to be Burmese in style with some Lanna features. There are a Burmese chedi, a viharn and a ubosot marked by sema stones. Having seen a couple of dozens of monastery/temples in Thailand, these buildings are just average. However, their ho trai (the library) is a gem. The colors, basically red and gold, are eye-catching. And the decorative sum over the windows and the door, in the form of coiled naga, are gorgeous.

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9. 木蘭寺的名牌看起來有點零落。 Wat Muen Larn.

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10. 藏經閣。 The ho trai (Library) of Wat Muen Larn. The sand tower in front of it was probably for holding incense during a ceremony (?)

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11. 窗上的楣飾設計~羅睺口吐双龍。Two nagas coming out from the mouth of the legendary Rahu (?)

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12. 窗上的楣飾, 金色與紅色給人的感覺实在舒服。 四頁窗扉上漆上漂亮的圖案與上面的金色呼應。The other design of the decoration above a window.

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13. 藏經閣楣上的裝飾。 The coiled nagas over the door of the ho trai.

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14. 戒堂的結界石。 Sema stone (Bai sema)

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15. 緬甸式佛塔. Burmese style chedi.

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16. 塔東方為佛堂。 The small viharn in front of the chedi.

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17. 佛堂前的立佛。 The standing Buddha image in front of the viharn.

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III. 潘圖寺   Wat Phan Tao

從潘安寺往西行不一會就到 Phra Pok Klao Road, 從這裡往南走一石之遙就到有名的大塔寺 (Wat Chedi Luang)。就在Phra Pok Klao Road十字路口的地方有一座柚木建成的佛堂, 稱潘圖寺。據說泰文Phan Tao 是千窯之意。這原來不是寺院, 是建造大塔寺一個鑄造大小佛像的地方。大塔寺建成之後, 在原地蓋有一柚木宮殿供 Chao Mahawong 王居住(1846-1854), 原屋作高蹺式。於1876年改建為寺院前除去高蹺。網上資料大多注重佛堂的嵌板式牆壁, 我卻對下面這两項特別喜愛:

1) 佛堂東門楣上山形牆的木雕, 很多書裡都把它看作納蘭式木雕的範例;

2) 佛堂前矮牆的拱門, 應該是泥塑的吧, 可惜怎樣也找不到有関資料。

Wat Phan Tao
Before turning south on Phra Pok Klao Road on the way to Wat Chedi Luang, one would see a beautiful teak temple called Wat Phan Tao. The name Phan Tao refers to ” a thousand kilns”. It is said that a thousand kilns refer to the casting of the numerous Buddha images during the construction of Wat Chedi Luang. Online info focuses on the wooden panels of the wall of viharn, for me, however, the following were the focuses of my visit:

1) The decoration on the gable (pediment) of the facade of the viharn;

2) The stucco gate in front of the viharn,

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18. 不容錯過的裝飾。  The decorations on the gate and the facade are exceptionally beautiful.

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19. 佛堂東門上楣飾, 精緻絕倫, 所惜為欄門及上面電線所擋, 無法拍得正面照。 The intricate Lanna style carving decorating the gable of the viharn. Unfortunately it is hard to get a good shot of it because the gate and the overhanging electrical wires.

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20. 矮牆門泥塑精美。It’s a pity that I was not able to find any information about this beautiful gate in front of the viharn.

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21. 大殿祭壇。 The nave of the viharn.

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22. 佛堂左方排有上百僧砵, 供善信施捨結緣。 Devotees put offerings to the rows of monk’s bowls.

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23. 佛殿主佛像。 The main Buddha image.

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24. 從佛堂中庭外望。Looking out to the beautiful “gate” from the viharn.

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25. 寺外牆之嵌板是佛堂特色, 可惜為法輪旗所蓋, 看不清楚。   The outer wall of the viharn is almost covered with the Wheel of Dharma, hard to see the wood panels.

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26. 佛陀說法。 On the far end of the yard, a Buddha image was placed under a Bodhi tree, to imitate a scene of Buddha giving teaching.

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27. 佛陀說法。 From another angle.

Map showing the location of these three monasteries.

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28. 三小寺之相對位置, 潘圖寺(紅), 潘安寺(綠), 木蘭寺(藍)。 Map showing the relative location of Wat Phan Tao (red), Wat Phan On (green) and Wat Muen Luan (blue).

清邁無名小寺A beautiful small temple in Chiang Mai

這是我見過最漂亮的破風板。This is one of the most beautiful bargeboards I have seen in Chiang Mai.

泰北行腳之十九 : 清邁無名小寺   Northern Thailand: Part 19

在清邁城中地標三王像南面有一特別的寺院。如果你走路去吃著名的海南雞飯, 你應該會經過這裡。 它只有一座小佛堂, 無塔, 無介堂。最特別的是它就是座落於馬路上,佔了半邊的馬路, 猜想是擴闊馬路時沒有把它拆除之故。它吸引我的是寺小而精緻, 好像是剛剛翻新了似的, 屋頂上的破風板設計與眾不同, 雕工精美, 可以說是我見過清邁寺院中最漂亮的。正面入口楣上的裝飾和簷托也都是一流水平。奇怪的是網上從末見有人提過此寺。更遺憾的是無法找到它的名字。看官知道的, 懇請賜知。

I have absolutely no idea what is the name of this temple, it is located on Intra Warorot Road, south of the Three King’s Monument. It stands on one side of the road. This temple is so small that it consists of only one small viharn, no chedi, no ubosot. I am sure there were those buildings and somehow lost over time. As we passed by, I noticed some of the most beautiful carvings, particularly the pan lom, the bargeboard, I have ever seen in Chiang Mai.

寺的正面。 寺佔路面左邊的行車線。 The facade of the temple.

我不是行家, 但這個設計令我想起南邦大舍利寺, 想此寺定有相當歴史。 The decoration reminds me of the Phra That Lampang Luang temple.

此寺建築似舊制, 两側屬開方型。The altar of the temple.

屋簷托座。 Eave Brackets

屋簷托座。 Eave Brackets

寺的中庭, 從正门內望可見祭壇主佛。The nave of the temple.

許願菩提葉. Make a wish !