「廟」不可言的夜晚 / The Unspoken Night at the Temple

在華人社會，都知道提到元宵節，就會聯想到花燈，因為花燈是元宵節慶祝活動中的重要元素之一，也是元宵節的代表性物品之一，花燈以各種形狀、大小、顏色裝飾製作而成，我不確定您們的童年是否有這樣的經驗，小學的學校老師，假如課堂期間在元宵節時，有正常上課時，一定會要求學生，製作花燈作為手工藝課的作業，而我們就跑遍家附近的文具行，找看看有無現成素材，可以完成作業，當然學生們在製作作業時，也會加入自己的想像，而做出看起來像是飛碟的小鴨，或是看起來像風箏的鯨魚，就是個人手藝的問題了。

近年來，每逢春節期間，特別是接近元宵節時，比較大的城市，到處都會懸掛或佈置花燈擺設，白天看到時還好，不過，夜晚時分，當太陽落下後，花燈一點亮，某些街頭角落、廣場和公共場所就被妝點成五彩繽紛、璀璨非凡，人們都會找個空檔，出來欣賞花燈勝景，很多花燈是由專業的工匠精心製作而成，其造型、色彩和細節都非常精美，出來賞花燈也是個好理由，能約親友出來聚會，趁著年節還未真的結束時，加深感情交流。

就在某次和朋友的聚會結束後，意猶未盡的我們，沿著廣場上的步道走到停車處，一路上我們繼續談天說地，夜晚真的好美，咦！我突然發現那座我熟悉，卻記不住名字的廟宇，怎麼突然變成金碧輝煌起來了啊！原來它是一間城隍廟，城隍神在中國民間信仰中被認為是守護城市和居民的神明，我之前真的沒注意到，聽說於某些鄉村地區的春節期間，城隍廟前，會搭建舞台，舉行文藝表演、民俗表演等節目，吸引眾多市民前來觀看，不知道是不是這個關係，這座城隍廟妝點著如此漂亮，特別是在夜晚期間。

擇日不如撞日，就和朋友乾脆進去城隍廟看看，這廟裡倒是空無一人，連廟公都不在，可能是夜太深了，人潮都已經散去了，看到廟裡有提供抽籤的服務，我和朋友們隨手從籤筒裡抽了幾隻籤，上面的古文，我們是有看沒有懂，雖然有簡單的解釋，但是沒有細看，反正大家幾乎抽到的都是小吉，看來，今年大家應該都會過的不錯吧。

In Chinese society, whenever the Lantern Festival is mentioned, people will immediately think of lanterns, because lanterns are an important element of the Lantern Festival celebration and a representative item of the Lantern Festival. Lanterns come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and they are made with meticulous decorations. I'm not sure if you had this experience in your childhood, but during elementary school, when the Lantern Festival coincided with normal class days, teachers would always ask students to make lanterns as handicraft assignments. We would run around the nearby stationery stores, looking for ready-made materials to complete the assignments. Of course, students would also add their own imagination, creating lanterns that looked like UFOs with ducks or kites with whales – it all depended on individual craftsmanship.

In recent years, especially approaching the Lantern Festival during the Chinese New Year period, in larger cities, lanterns are hung or displayed everywhere. It's fine to see them during the day, but at night, when the lanterns light up, certain street corners, squares, and public places are decorated in a riot of colors, dazzling and extraordinary. People would take the opportunity to come out and admire the beautiful scenery of the lanterns. Many lanterns are carefully crafted by professional artisans, with exquisite shapes, colors, and details. Coming out to appreciate the lanterns is also a good reason to gather with family and friends, deepening relationships and communication while the Lunar New Year festivities are still ongoing.

After a gathering with friends one time, feeling unsatisfied, we walked along the pathway in the square towards the parking lot. We continued chatting and admiring the beautiful night. Oh! Suddenly, I noticed that familiar but forgotten temple, which had become splendidly illuminated! It turned out to be a City God Temple. In Chinese folk belief, the City God is considered the protector of the city and its residents. I hadn't noticed it before. I heard that in some rural areas during the Lunar New Year Festival period, stages are set up in front of City God Temples for cultural performances, attracting many people to come and watch. I wonder if that's the reason why this City God Temple is so beautifully decorated, especially at night.

Since we were still in the mood, my friends and I decided to go inside the City God Temple. It was completely deserted, not even a temple attendant in sight. Perhaps it was too late at night, and the crowds had already dispersed. We noticed that the temple offered a service for drawing lots, so we casually drew a few lots from the lot box. The ancient text on the lots was something we couldn't understand at all, although there was a simple explanation, we didn't read it carefully. Anyway, almost everyone drew lots indicating minor fortunes, so it seems like we'll all have a good year ahead.

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