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Whizz, bang, pop, ow! 砲聲劈哩啪啦響！

This weekend, a small town near Tainan will celebrate the end of Lunar New Year with a bang.

Every year since 1875, the the people who live in Yanshui have set off thousands of fireworks on the Lantern Festival. But why?

In 1875, Yanshui had a terrible plague. Many people were dying and the people in the town asked the gods for help. They were told that they should light fircrackers to scare away the evil spirits.

The plan worked, and now every year in celebration Yanshui kicks off the Lantern Festival with a swarm of fireworks. However, the festival can be quite dangerous.

Unlike other firework displays, at the Beehive Fireworks Festival the firecrackers fire straight into the crowd. You must wear special clothes if you want to be safe — just like in the picture.

This year, the festival is happening tomorrow night and Sunday night. It looks like a lot of fun, doesn't it?

(catherine thomas, staff writer)

這個週末，台南附近的一個小鎮將以隆隆炮聲為農曆新年畫下句點。 自一八七五年以來，鹽水鎮居民年年都會在元宵節放射數千發的煙火，究竟原因為何？

一八七五年，鹽水鎮瘟疫肆虐，許多人喪生，鎮民求助神明，神明便啟示他們點鞭炮嚇走邪靈。

這招果然奏效，如今鹽水鎮民每年都會在元宵節點燃蜂窩狀的煙火慶祝。

不過，參加鹽水蜂炮也有危險之處。

不像其他煙火，鹽水蜂炮節的鞭炮會直接射向群眾，你得穿上特別的服裝才能保持安全，就如照片所示。

今年的慶祝活動就在明晚和星期天晚上 ，看起來很有趣不是嗎？

（翻譯︰鄭湘儀）

Today's Word 今日單字 1. plague n. 瘟疫 (wen1 yi4) 例: In 1665, London had an outbreak of the bubonic plague. (倫敦在一六六五年曾爆發腺鼠疫。) 2. firecracker n. 鞭炮 (bian1 pao4) 例: Setting off fircrackers can be lots of fun, but you should always be careful. (放鞭炮很有趣，但你應該時時謹慎小心。) 3. swarm n. 蜂群 (feng1 qun2) 例: The beekeeper has to wear special clothes when he goes near the beehive so the swarm wouldn't sting him. (養蜂人接近蜂巢時得穿上特製的衣服，這樣蜜蜂才不會叮他。)

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