Festival Performers, JapanFestival Performers, JapanPhotograph by Benoit Hardy-ChartrandPhotograph by Benoit Hardy-Chartrand

(National Geographic Photo Contest Images)

1

Wintry WaitPhotograph by Johnny Haglund 2

Seagulls, AlaskaSeagulls, AlaskaPhotograph by Court LevePhotograph by Court Leve

3

Gothic Quarter, BarcelonaPhotograph by Jordi Boixareu 4

Lake Carezza, ItalyPhotograph by Antonio Chiumenti 5

Eastern Screech OwletsPhotograph by Graham McGeorge 6

Lighthouse, PortugalLighthouse, PortugalPhotograph by Veselin MalinovPhotograph by Veselin Malinov

7

Skateboarders, San FranciscoPhotograph by Matthieu Moors

8

Seaside Park, JapanPhotograph by Hideyuki Katagiri

9

Reflection, HungaryPhotograph by Zsolt Szabo

10

Landscape, LatviaPhotograph by Mihails Ignats 11

Deer, Richmond ParkPhotograph by Prashant Meswani 12

Cabin, CroatiaPhotograph by Marin Suöli

13

Tree Canopy, BerlinTree Canopy, BerlinPhotograph by Kevin ConnollyPhotograph by Kevin Connolly

14

Bride, KosovoBride, KosovoPhotograph by Nita ZeqiriPhotograph by Nita Zeqiri 15

Skógafoss, IcelandPhotograph by Jorunn Sjofn Gudlaugsdottir 16

Sunbathing Cows, AndalusiaPhotograph by Andrew Lever

17

Above the Namib DesertPhotograph by Chris Schmid 18

Monastery in MandalayPhotograph by Marcelo Salvador 19

Aflutter Along the IguazuPhotograph by Daniel Pinheiro 20

Imperiled RhinoPhotograph by Richard Young

21

The Blessed ManPhotograph by Yosuke Kashiwakura

22

The Saidai-ji Eyo festival, considered one of the three strangest festivals in Japan, is a Buddhist ritual in which

9,000 men compete to grab just a pair of sacred wooden batons to decide who will be the "blessed man" for

the year. The over 500-year-old tradition of Eyo is based on an underlying understanding of the state of

human life, greater than the ideals and trends of a single generation, and this idea has been cherished and

passed down through the centuries.

日本岡山市的西大寺觀音院舉行的裸祭節為日本的三大“奇祭”之一。在寒冷的 2 月，只穿著兜襠褲的男子們奮力爭奪據說可以帶來福氣的木棒“寶木”。“寶木”兩根為一對，長約 20厘米，並經過了 14天的祈禱。當天晚 10點，西大寺的住持從高約 4 米的正殿的窗戶將寶木扔下。用冷水清洗過身體，“熱氣騰騰”的數千人開始了一場“肉搏”戰。經過激烈的搶奪競技之後，搶到寶木的男子們就可以進行下一步儀式－受封為「福男」。 23

Frosted Tamarack SwampPhotograph by Adam Dorn 24

There's Always OnePhotograph by Yashani Shantha

25

A Shepherd's FlockPhotograph by Juan Aguilar 26

Shy Sea LionPhotograph by Ron Watkins 27

Street Colors, Hong KongPhotograph by Brian Yen

28

Burnt Trees, YellowstonePhotograph by Chaoying Zhao 29

The White Cliffs of IturupThe White Cliffs of IturupPhotograph by Alexey KharitonovPhotograph by Alexey Kharitonov

30

31Pink MorningPhotograph by David Köster

Frosty GlancePhotograph by Sandor Csudai

12/31/2013 王文堯 Kaohsiung Taiwan R.O.CAll photos were taken from National Geographic

THE END 32