特461_3 臺灣民間藝陣郵票 / Sp.461_3 Yijhen: Taiwanese Folk Art Performance Postage Stamps

##ReadMorte##
特461_3 臺灣民間藝陣郵票 / Sp.461_3 Yijhen: Taiwanese Folk Art Performance Postage Stamps
Issued on: 11 May, 2004

A staple of temple fairs and religious festivals, yijhen, a general category of various traditional Taiwanese folk art performances, is gradually fading from view due to the industrialization and modernization of society. Yet the sight of yijhen never fails to evoke warm memories of childhood. In order to give ROC nationals a deeper understanding about the island of Taiwan, Chunghwa Post is issuing a set of four stamps entitled “Yijhen: Taiwanese Folk Art Performance.”

In traditional Taiwanese society yijhen folk art performance played an important role in the cultural life of the common people. In the agricultural society of yesteryear, it was used in rituals to express people’s gratitude to the gods during temple fairs and religious processions and was also used as entertainment for the common folk. During the Ming and the Ching Dynasties, the early Han Chinese settlers brought yijhen with them

when they made the journey from mainland China across the strait to Taiwan. In the 400 years since, yijhen has developed into something that has both preserved its traditional Chinese spirit and yet also taken on the flavor of its locale. During the period of early settlement, Taiwan was a dangerous place, and some yijhen troupes had become self-defense organizations for their locales. The prevalence of religious activities fueled the development of folk dramas and yijhen. Apart from being entertaining, yijhen also functioned as a tool of education and as a defense mechanism that fostered solidarity among the people. Traditionally, a procession is held symbolizing a god or gods making an inspection tour of his or her territory on the eve of the god’s birthday or an important temple ceremony. During this kind of procession, local temples and businesses invite yijhen folk art performance troupes to join the parade. Most of these yijhen performers are amateurs and composed of people from the local communities.

(3) The Drum Dance: the “Drum Dance” is the most energetic and rhythmic of all Taiwanese folk art performances. All about drumming and jumping, it is also called the Drum Flower Dance, Big Drum Flower or Playing the Big Drum. A troupe is normally composed of eight people, although there are also larger troupes of several dozen people. The performance is divided into the flags, the drums, the parasols and the gongs. It is mostly performed in a square-like formation, with the drums in the middle, the parasols in the front and back, and the gongs at the four corners. Movements are rhythmic and exacting. These are popular performances during temple fairs.


藝陣是民間廟會喜慶不可或缺的民俗表演藝術，在工業社會的衝擊下，儘管它已逐漸從人們的生活中褪色，但任何時候看到這項傳統民俗，都能令人勾起親切的童年記憶。為了讓在地人對在地生活有更深一層的體認，本公司特印製「臺灣民間藝陣郵票」1組4枚。
臺灣的傳統藝陣，在常民的文化生活裡，扮演著一個重要角色，在舊時農業社會裡，它是迎神賽會酬謝神明恩典的儀禮，多采多姿的表演是常民大眾的主要娛樂。明 清之際，先民渡海來臺，也將民間藝陣同時傳遞來台灣，歷經4百年的衍演發展，各種藝陣不只保存傳統民族文化的精神，也呈現著本土的風貌。臺灣在移民初期治 安不良，有些藝陣就成為地方自衛組茲將本組郵票圖案簡介如下：

(3)跳鼓陣：跳鼓陣是臺灣民間最具活力與動感的陣頭，以擊鼓及跳躍為表演內容，又稱鼓花陣、大鼓花、大鼓弄等。成員一般以8人為基準，也有數十人的大隊 伍。分為頭旗、大鼓、涼傘、銅鑼等，表演時多作方形陣，大鼓居中，涼傘在前後，銅鑼分四角，表演俐落活潑，充滿節奏感，是廟會裡很受歡迎的陣頭。

There are 4 stamps as a set. But I only bought this one. I can't find the other stamps of this set. If you want to see the other 3 stamps, just click here. The following is the description of the 3 stamps.


(1) The Eight Generals: the “Eight Generals” can actually be performed by four, six, eight or more than ten persons. An eight-person troupe is the most common—hence the name. The “Eight Generals” is a solemn and mysterious troupe, employing the Four Gate, Seven Star or Eight Trigram battle arrays to capture goblins and monsters, so as to protect the people and keep the area safe.

(2) The Song Jiang Battle Array: the “Song Jiang Battle Array” is the largest and most impressive religious martial art troupe in Taiwan and it is very popular in Southern Taiwan. It is typically composed of 36 members, but some have 42, 56 or 72 members. In recent years, the Tourism Bureau has especially designated the “Song Jiang Battle Array” performed by troupes from Neimen Rural Township, Kaohsiung County as a unique local travel attraction. And troupes from Neimen have represented Taiwan several times in performance art exchanges in mainland China.

(4) Stilt Walking: also called stilt stepping, stilt walking takes real skill and a lot of practice. It is generally divided into the categories of theatrical stilt walking, which emphasizes singing and facial expressions, and martial arts stilt walking, which features all sorts of stunts and martial art movements. Most of these stilts are under three feet high, and these are called short stilts. Stilts over three feet high are called tall stilts.


(1)八家將：八家將只是一種泛稱，實際上成員有4人、6人、8人，也有10人以上的陣，最常見的是8人陣，故名之。八家將是一種嚴肅、神秘的陣頭，於神明出巡時，協助緝拿妖魔鬼怪，以四門陣、七星步、八卦陣等陣法攻擊和圍捕，使鬼魂無所遁形，以求安民保境。

(2)宋江陣：宋江陣是臺灣最大且最具聲勢的宗教性武術陣頭，流行於南部地區。最普遍的是36人陣，也有42人陣或56人陣，最多有72人陣。近幾年來，觀光局特別將內門宋江陣定為地方特色旅遊，數度代表臺灣至中國大陸參加交流表演。

(4)高蹺陣：高蹺陣又稱踏蹺陣，是一種講求功夫的陣頭，必須經過長時間的練習。大致可分為著重唱功表情的文高蹺和以特技打拳為主的武高蹺2種。一般所見的高蹺，多在3尺以下，稱為短高蹺，高達3尺以上者，則稱之為長高蹺。

References:
Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd.