Yenshui, Tainan
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Yenshui or Yenshuei (traditional Chinese: 鹽水鎮; Wade-Giles: Yen-shuei Chen; literally "salt water township") is the name of a town in Tainan County, South Taiwan which is famous for its notoriously dangerous fireworks festival. The annual event commemorates a cholera epidemic more than a century ago, the fireworks symbolizing the exorcism of demons associated with the plague. The festival falls on the 15th day after the commencement of the Lunar New Year: the last day of Chinese New Year festivities.
[edit] Festival
It is said that the Fireworks Festival originated from a cholera epidemic which broke out in the early ruling period of Kuanghsu Emperor of Ching Dynasty (around 1875) and lasted for more than twenty years.
In order to drive out the evil spirits and ward off the disease, the survivors invited the spirit of Kuan Kung (Kuan Ti), the Chinese god of war. Kuan Kung is worshipped as the God of War; since he was adept at managing finances, he is also worshipped as the patron saint of businessmen.
The deities of Heaven are able to inspect the land on the day of Lantern Festival by carrying the statue of Kuan Kung in palanquins and paraded around Yenshui and letting off masses of firecrackers, and the epidemic soon receded.
[edit] "Beehive" Firework
The most important of Yenshui's prominent fireworks are the so-called "bee hives", essentially multiple launchers of bottle rockets. These rocket forts are actually thousands of bottle rockets arranged row atop row in an iron-and-wooden framework. The setup looks like a beehive full of unleashed gunpowder. When the contraption is ignited, rockets shoot out rapidly in all directions. Dazzling explosives whiz and whirl across the sky and often into the crowd itself, both thrilling and intimidating the spectators.
[edit] Danger
To protect against injury, heavy clothing, a helmet with safety shield, and protective gloves are recommended for all who come to see. Spectators have been wounded by rocketing fireworks while standing too close to the erupting hive however, the festival is still held despite moves to ban it.
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