A more than 100-year-old annual two-day fireworks event starts tomorrow in Tainan’s Yanshuei District (鹽水), with thousands of domestic and international tourists expected to attend the distinctive religious display organized by the Yanshui Wu Temple, also known as Yanshui Martial Temple (鹽水武廟).
At the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks, traditionally held on the 14th and 15th days of the first month of the lunar calendar, as the temple palanquin moves by, spectators might be struck by “beehive firecrackers” that are believed to “end ill fortune, resolve difficulties and bring good luck for the coming year,” the Tainan Tourism and Travel Bureau said.
“Wherever the god’s sedan chairs go, town residents light firecrackers, and beehives, fireworks and sparklers of all kinds shoot up through the sky with loud thundering sounds, coming with beautiful misty smoke, lighting up the night sky in a magnificent festive fashion,” it said.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
The festival’s origins date back to the late 19th century, when locals stricken by plague prayed to Guandi (關帝), the god of war, who instructed them to carry his statue at the back of a procession and light firecrackers through every street until dawn, official tourism Web sites said.
After, “the Yanshuei area became safe and the local people decided to make the firecracker parade an annual custom” to remember Guandi’s blessings, the tourism agency’s Web site said.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said he hoped this year’s festivities would help ward off “evil and disease.”
“Influenza has been widespread recently,” Huang said last week. “In addition to reminding everyone to get vaccinated and pay attention to their own health, we also hope that by praying to Guandi for protection today, we can fend off disasters and protect the people of Tainan.”
This year’s temple procession is to begin tomorrow morning, while the main fireworks display would take place on Wednesday evening at Tainan Municipal Yanshuei Junior High School, Huang said.
Meanwhile, the Tainan Fire Bureau said those intending to participate in the festival should wear protective and nonflammable clothing that completely covers the body and face to avoid potential injuries caused by fireworks.
Clothing should include a face mask, full-face helmet, a thick scarf, thick cotton gloves, thick cotton or denim jackets and pants, and thick-soled shoes, it said.
Persons not wearing such clothing would not be allowed to enter the firework launch area, the fire bureau said.
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