Kaohsiung's Lantern Festival Lights up the City／高雄燈會 精彩萬分
Kaohsiung's Lantern Festival Lights up the City
◎English translation:Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos by Huang Ching-wen, Hsieh Guan-yi, Ceng Guo-shu
Kaohsiung Lantern Festival is one of the city's most joyful annual events and was held from February 21st to March 15th. It is now in its fifteenth year, with the original exhibition venue at the Love River featuring thirty giant theme lanterns and light sculptures, lighting up both sides of its shores. During its first years, the lantern exhibitions were exclusively held at the Love River, however as its popularity increased, exhibitions were added throughout the city, including bright and colorful exhibitions in Cishan, Gangshan and Fo Guang Shan. The Kaohsiung streets were also decorated with thematic, award-winning lanterns, attracting millions of visitors.
What really distinguishes Kaohsiung's Lantern Festival from other lantern exhibitions around Taiwan are the variety of activities that can be enjoyed alongside the artfully crafted lanterns. Visitors can enjoy a variety of street performances or take a cruise down the Love River, enjoying the lanterns on a Love Boat cruise or a private Gondola. There are also fireworks and water dances which are held 20 meters off shore. This year's show was entitled Eye of Kaohsiung, featuring a spectacular "O" shaped water projection.
The Lantern Parade took place on March 7th, featuring lantern floats, giant puppets, school marching bands, Song Jiang Arrays, a Cheerleading Squad from Japan's Teikyo University and folk dances performed by Kaohsiung's Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai immigrants. Kaohsiung's sister cities from Portland, USA, Busan, Korea, as well as Hachioji, Kumamoto, Chiba and Mie-ken, Japan also came to join in with the festivities.
Lantern Festival displays in the other districts were on show before the Lunar New Year. They poured their hearts and spirit into the exhibits and provided many lanterns which strongly displayed the local culture. The master lantern in Gangshan District exhibited giant fixtures such as nuts and bolts to honor the districts major industrial products. The lanterns in Cishan highlighted the beauty of its historical buildings, with vendors offering visitors a variety of foods as they strolled through the venue. Gushan's Lantern Festival exhibited jumbo-sized lantern at the "Sky Balcony", its newly developed scenic spots. Fo Guang Shan's New Year's Festival of Light and Peace included a Buddhist theme which created a serene atmosphere for visitors who came to the temple to pray for good fortune in the coming year.
With joy and light, Kaohsiung's Lantern Festival brought a perfect end to the month. Although it is finished for another year, the festive energy will remain with the people of Kaohsiung and a colorful beginning to the New Year. It also left everyone anticipating what next year's Lantern Festival will bring.
高雄燈會 精彩萬分
◎文／徐世雄
◎攝影／黃敬文、謝冠儀、曾國書
高雄燈會是高雄一年中最熱鬧盛大的節慶活動，已連續舉辦15年的高雄燈會逐年擴大區域，如今不只在愛河沿岸舉辦，還延伸到旗山、岡山、佛光山等地，今年鼓山區也加入了燈節行列，各式藝術花燈、地景燈飾、競賽燈飾等點亮整個高雄，吸引成千上萬民眾夜遊賞燈，享受難得的視覺藝術饗宴。
高雄燈會主場「高雄燈會藝術節」從2月21日至3月15日，在愛河兩岸與橋樑上布置近30座大型主題花燈與光雕，夜晚萬燈齊亮，將愛河妝點得五彩繽紛。燈會舉辦期間，民眾沿著河岸散步賞燈，沿途各式花燈令人目不暇給，而每隔一段距離就有街頭藝人即興表演，增添賞燈歡樂氣氛，許多民眾搭乘「愛之船」或「貢多拉船」搖曳在愛河上，欣賞兩岸燈火。
有別於台灣其他地區的燈會，水岸風情是高雄燈會最大的特色，尤其是煙火水舞秀，是每年燈會中最精彩的節目。今年「水上劇場」特地引進O型水幕投影「高雄之眼」，矗立在距離岸邊20公尺的愛河上，結合煙火及水舞，打造出水火瞬間迸發、光彩耀目的綺麗景致，每當「水上劇場」演出時，愛河畔民眾驚嘆連連。
高雄燈會是全高雄市民共同參與的大活動，3月7日舉辦的萬人提燈大遊行，參與遊行隊伍包括各式花車和巨型玩偶，高雄在地學校樂旗隊、宋江陣及日本帝京大學buffalo啦啦隊，展現力與美的表演；來自印尼、越南、泰國的新住民姊妹演出風情萬種的民族舞蹈；而陳菊市長也特別邀請美國波特蘭市、韓國釜山、日本八王子市、熊本市、千葉縣、三重縣等姊妹市暨友好城市代表一同參加遊行，感受高雄的熱情與活力 。
除了愛河舉辦的主場燈會，其他岡山區、旗山區、鼓山區及佛光山的燈會在春節前就陸續登場，岡山燈會主燈以螺絲為主題，呈現地方產業特色；旗山燈會結合老街風華與小吃，遊客邊賞燈、邊品嘗美食；鼓山燈會在「天空雲台」布置大型燈飾，照亮美麗夜空；佛光山的「平安燈會」則充滿佛教色彩，吸引新春祈福人潮。
為期一個月的高雄燈會，在一片璀璨燈火與歡樂聲中落幕，節慶過後，城市仍洋溢著幸福的能量，期待明年高雄燈會的到來。