TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan City Government said Thursday that the annual Yanshui Beehive Fireworks festival gets underway next week at Yanshui Junior High School.
Youth Daily News reported the temple procession will begin on Monday and continue into Tuesday, which marks the Lantern Festival. On Tuesday evening, three firework towers, each measuring approximately 12 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 2.1 meters high, will be set on fire.
“The Yanshui Beehive Fireworks is considered one of the world’s three major folk festivals," Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) noted. He added that the festival "is one of Taiwan’s most representative Lantern Festival events.”
Typically, thousands of rockets are fired from wooden frames, creating a swarm of sparks that shoot into crowds of participants wearing protective gear. The event began more than 100 years ago.
The event dates back to a plague outbreak in the area. Residents prayed to Lord Guan and set off firecrackers before the outbreak subsided.
To give thanks, locals began holding the firework event every year, and it gradually developed into a major folk celebration. The temple said this year’s theme is, “Good fortune in the Year of the Horse.”
The city government stressed that safety is the top priority. Fire officials demonstrated proper protective clothing at the press conference and advised visitors to wear non-flammable materials, including a full-face helmet, cotton towel to protect the neck, mask, thick cotton or denim jacket and pants, gloves, socks, and flat shoes or sneakers.
The temple also advised visitors to choose firework towers that display official certification marks. Participants should keep at least 10 meters away from the towers to reduce the risk of injury.
