Tainan's Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival begins next Tuesday

Tainan, Feb. 4 (CNA) An annual two-day fireworks event with a history of more than 100 years kicks off next Tuesday in Tainan's Yanshui District, with thousands of foreign and domestic tourists expected to attend the distinctive religious display organized by the Yanshui Wu Temple, also known as Yanshui Martial Temple.

At the festival traditionally held on the 14th and 15th days of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, as the temple palanquin moves by, spectators may be struck by "beehive firecrackers" that are believed to "end ill fortune, resolve difficulties and bring good luck for the coming year," according to the Tourism and Travel Bureau of the southern Taiwan city.

"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 smokes [sic] and lighting up the night sky in a magnificent festive fashion," according to Taiwan's Tourism Administration.

The festival's origins date back to the late 19th century, official tourism websites said, when locals stricken by plague prayed to Guandi, the God of War, who instructed them to carry his statue at the back of a procession and light firecrackers through every street and lane until dawn.

Thereafter, "the Yanshui area became safe and the local people decided to make the firecracker parade an annual custom" to remember Guandi's blessings, the tourism administration's website explained.

Speaking at a promotional event outside the Yanshui Wu Temple on Tuesday, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said he hoped that this year's festivities would help ward off "evil and disease."

"The flu has been widespread recently," Huang told reporters. "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."

Huang said that this year's temple procession will begin on the morning of Feb. 11, while the main fireworks display will take place on the evening of Feb. 12 at Tainan Municipal Yanshuei Junior High School.

Meanwhile, the Tainan Fire Bureau said Tuesday that those intending to participate in the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks 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 surgical face mask, full-face helmet, a thick scarf, thick cotton gloves, thick cotton or denim jackets and pants, and thick-soled shoes, the firefighters said.

Persons not wearing such clothing will not be allowed to enter the firework launch area, the fire bureau said.