Author:

Category：Photograph

Material:Paper

Year：1950~1969

Size:Length:50.7 x Width:61.1 (cm)

Size description：尺寸為照片尺寸，單位公分，20*24"規格

Introduction：Mazu belief is a common folk religion in Taiwan. During the martial law period, freedom of religion was suppressed, and temple festivals were deemed superstitious and unnecessarily extravagant, and thus prohibited; nonetheless, people continued to voluntarily participate in these activities. Among the parade formation of Mazu pilgrimage, the “leading lamps” are a team of nearly 100 large lanterns at the forefront of the procession. These lanterns are supported by wooden poles for people to carry around, and are thus referred to as “carried lamps.” “Leading lamps” are lined up in pairs, each pair representing a profession; old names of different unions and the worshipped deities are written on the lamps. Inside the lamps are lightbulbs that can illuminate the way at night and attract people’s attention.

Early on, people were hired to carry the lamps; business owners often hired younger boys because they were cheaper. Ho Huei-Guang, thus, photographed the boys carrying the lamps. With painted heavenly creatures, flowers, plants, totems and written names of businesses like ice shop and fish shop on the sides of “Heavenly Empress,” these giant lanterns are as large as the bodies of the elementary school children, and we can seen on their faces that it was quite physically demanding for them. The procession is a bit chaotic, and the old grandma with bound feet grabbing her granddaughter by the wrist seems a bit off balance. Ho uses a horizontal layout a bit longer than conventional photo paper to present the robust scene. Everyone seems a bit tired, yet they continue to follow the footsteps of Mazu, marching carefully forward.

Chen Ting-Yu, National Center of Photography and Images Collection Metadata, 2019

Media and Techniques：Gelatin silver print

Accession number:NCP2017-027-0011