There are many stories to explain why the people of Taitung County celebrate the annual Lantern Festival by throwing firecrackers at a shirtless man playing the role of the diety Han Dan (寒單爺), but what is certain is that the ritual has evolved into a treasured cultural event.
The county government registered the ritual of “bombing Han Dan” — held to coincide with the Lantern Festival — as a cultural asset last year after it was recognized as a folk ritual that contributes significantly to tourism.
Taitung’s firecracker blitzkrieg has become one of the most representative traditional ceremonies marking the end of the Lunar New Year season in Taiwan along with the sky lanterns in Taipei County’s Pingsi Township (平溪) and the firecracker beehive festival in Tainan County’s Yenshui Township (鹽水).
Taitung locals have offered themselves up as targets for firecrackers since the Japanese colonial era, but how the ritual gained traction is the stuff of legend.
One version is that the ritual grew popular because people believed it helped rid Taitung of infectious diseases plaguing the area during that time.
Legend has it that an epidemic was brought under control after Han Dan was brought out during the Lantern Festival to expel evil spirits while offering blessings to believers, thus leading to the yearly ritual of worshiping the deity.
Scientists believe that the heat and thick smoke filling the sky from the bombardment of firecrackers may have actually stemmed the spread of dangerous bacteria.
But who is Han Dan?
Some cultural historians said Han Dan was a god of wealth who could not resist the cold.
Throwing firecrackers at him was meant to drive the chill from his body during the procession. The more firecrackers that were set off, the more successful and wealthy devotees would become.
During the ceremony, a chosen person (normally a male) dresses up as Han Dan, stands on a sedan chair in a parade and presents himself to devotees who throw firecrackers at him.
The man can only use a banyan branch to protect himself.
Another version of story is that Han Dan was the god of gangsters and hooligans, who used firecrackers to demonstrate his power.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Han Dan role was often assumed by a local organized crime boss.
Some alleged that the “bombing of Han Dan” actually turned into a contest among leaders of rival factions to decide who would become the big boss.
It was said that whoever endured the bombardment the longest took over as gang leader.
That practice, however, led to Taitung police banning the ritual in 1984, and leaders of local gangs were then sent to jail during raids on organized crime syndicates.
In 1989, former legislator Yao Eng-chi (饒穎奇) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) revived the tradition.
Since then, the ceremony has been transformed from a power struggle among gangsters into an economic indicator.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS