This year’s Beehive Firecracker Festival in Greater Tainan’s Yen-shui Township (鹽水) was launched yesterday morning, with plans to set off more than 1 million firecrackers during the two-day event.
Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year — today — and the annual beehive firecracker festival has been a -tradition in the small town for more than a century.
Every year it attracts hordes of visitors looking to experience the breathtaking sight of fireworks fired directly into the crowd.
The event started in the morning as Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) lit two 100m long strings of firecrackers attached to two remote controlled helicopters, that flew high into the sky in front of the Wu Temple (武廟).
A parade of worshippers carrying statues of gods on palanquins began to make its way through the streets and alleys as firecrackers were set off along the way.
Many visitors wearing thick raincoats or towels covering their whole bodies, and equipped with motorcycle helmets and face masks, arrived early yesterday to enjoy the excitement of being blasted by -firecrackers from a close distance.
The Wu Temple management board said about 200 “firecracker beehives” — used as bases from which firecrackers are fired — would be set up throughout the town.
In addition, the board said that the highlight of the event scheduled for 9pm tonight, Would involved about 50,000 firecrackers shot out from a 10m tall glass fiber golden dragon in rapid succession.
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