Standing high on the bamboo sedan, the 30-year-old Chen Jin-yi (陳金益) was using banyan branches to whisk away a salvo of fizzling firecrackers shooting toward him from all directions.
Impersonating the Han-tan yeh, or god of wealth, Lee was only allowed to wear a pair of red boxer shorts, sneakers and a piece of red headgear wrapped around his head to protect his body and limbs, which are covered with tattoos.
Lee was one of the 30 volunteers playing the deity in this year's Lantern Festival in Taitung County.
Legend has it that the god of wealth was Chao Kong-ming (
Some people, however, believe that the God of Wealth was Chou Chu (
Although the Chou later killed the tiger and the dragon, he himself was killed by his fellow villagers who threw a volley of firecrackers at him on the night of the Lantern Festival.
According to the religious ritual, the more firecrackers thrown at the Han-tan yeh, the more prosperous the economy.
Shopowners who wish for a prosperous year offer financial awards to lure the Han-tan yeh to visit their stores so they can throw firecrackers at him to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune.
Although the firecracker-throwing ritual seemed painful, Chen said it did not bother him at all.
"I don't feel a thing because I'm blessed by Buddha," he said, gulping down a bottle of mineral water.
Chen's impressive performance even landed him a NT$1,000 offer to shoot a commercial for a soft-drinks company.
Aiming to boost the local tourism industry, the county government has made efforts to make the four-decade-old ritual into a major event.
According to Wang Chong-wei (
"As the turnout of Saturday alone was estimated at 20,000, we hope to see over 100,000 people coming to the city," he said, adding that last year's three-day Lantern Festival attracted about 40,000 people.
"Our goal is to make the firecracker festival here featuring Han-tan yeh on a par with those in Yenshui, Tainan County and Pingshih, Taipei County," he said.
The highlight of the Yenshui fireworks festival is the "hives" -- pyrotechnic launch platforms the size of shipping containers.
The Pingshih Lantern Festival features sky lanterns -- fire-powered paper balloons.
Lee Chien-chi (
The temple is one of the city's most famous temples.
"I remember the first time I was up there, I had this overwhelming feeling of loneliness because the smoke was so thick I could barely see what was in front of me," he said. "The first thing I did when I came down was to take a deep breath of fresh air and drink a lot of water."
Lee was 20 when he got his feet wet.
"I was curious and wanted to show-off," said the 44-year-old native of Taitung.
It was addictive, he said, so he kept going back every year until 1983 when the county government barred the ritual for security reasons.
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