年前逛年貨大街 (一) / Shopping at the New Year Street Market Before Lunar New Year (Part 1)

有錢有閒逛大街是一種愜意富足的生活狀態，象徵著物質無虞且時間自由，然而，對於大部份的人，不一定有殷實的錢包，但是抽出一點時間，還是辦的到，農曆年前的年貨大街已經熱鬧非凡了，特別是過年前，人們趕著過來採辦年貨，雖然可以網路上訂購年貨，但是絕對沒有辦法親身感受到那份濃濃的年味。

我一看到從捷運站出入口湧出的大批人潮，就知道年貨大街一定是熱鬧非凡，果然，人龍一路從捷運站直奔迪化街，今年是馬年，不過今年迪化街和人氣 IP「白爛貓」合作今年的主題，所以在迪化街的入口處，就可以看到拿著魚乾的白爛貓巨型氣球裝置，象徵的「年年有餘」，而永樂市場上也有一尊騎著馬的白爛貓巨型氣球裝置應景。

永樂市場是台北有名的布料市場，店家內各式各樣的布匹一捲一捲堆疊著，花色從傳統喜氣的大紅龍鳳圖，到簡約現代的素色棉麻都有，這裡不像台北鬧區所呈現的現代時尚，反而呈現著歷史歲月留下的溫度，但是在農曆年期間，永樂市場前的小廣場，就是街頭藝人的表演場，我來的時間，剛好有藝人在表演雜耍，圍觀的人還不少，我靜靜地看來十來分鐘，雖然藝人的表演並不華麗，但是不時的失誤，還是把我逗得哈哈大笑。

在台北的大稻埕老城區裡，迪化街一直是充滿故事的街道，而街上最具代表性的信仰中心之一，就是台北霞海城隍廟，廟宇雖然規模不大，但內部神像眾多，香火鼎盛，空氣中常瀰漫著淡淡香火味，霞海城隍廟最為人熟知的，就是月老信仰，我猜不少人趁來採買年貨時，順便祈求一下自己的姻緣，特別是每年農曆年期間和二月十四日西洋情人節很接近，所以，來拜月老的人只會更多。

Being rich and having free time to stroll around the streets is a kind of relaxed and abundant lifestyle. It represents having no worries about money and having full control over your time. However, for most people, having a thick wallet isn’t always guaranteed — but squeezing out a bit of free time is usually still possible. As Lunar New Year approaches, the New Year goods street markets are already packed with energy. Especially right before the holiday, people rush in to stock up on New Year supplies. Sure, you can order New Year goods online, but you can never really feel that strong festive atmosphere through a screen.

The moment I saw huge crowds pouring out from the MRT station exits, I knew the New Year street market had to be insanely busy. And sure enough, the line of people stretched all the way from the MRT station straight into Dihua Street. This year is the Year of the Horse, but Dihua Street is also collaborating with the popular IP “Lan Lan Cat” as the theme. So right at the entrance of Dihua Street, you can see a giant Lan Lan Cat balloon installation holding dried fish, symbolizing “abundance every year.” There’s also another giant Lan Lan Cat balloon riding a horse displayed near Yongle Market to match the festive theme.

Yongle Market is a famous fabric market in Taipei. Inside the shops, rolls and rolls of fabric are stacked everywhere. The patterns range from traditional festive red dragon-and-phoenix prints to simple modern solid cotton and linen fabrics. Unlike the modern and trendy vibe you usually see in downtown Taipei, this place carries the warmth of history and time. But during Lunar New Year, the small plaza in front of Yongle Market turns into a stage for street performers. When I arrived, there happened to be a performer doing juggling. Quite a crowd had gathered around. I stood there watching quietly for about ten minutes. Even though the performance wasn’t super flashy, the occasional mistakes actually made me laugh out loud.

In Taipei’s old Dadaocheng district, Dihua Street has always been a street full of stories. One of the most iconic spiritual landmarks there is the Xia-Hai City God Temple. The temple itself isn’t very big, but it’s packed with many deities and always filled with strong incense smoke. You can often smell that light incense scent in the air. The temple is especially famous for its Matchmaker God (Yue Lao) worship. I guess many people stop by to pray for love and relationships while they’re out buying New Year goods. Especially since Lunar New Year is usually very close to February 14th, Valentine’s Day, there are always even more people coming to pray to Yue Lao during this season.

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