Fun and Action at Lantern Festival

Bombing Lord Handan (Taitung City)

“Bombing Lord Handan” is a Lantern Festival event that is unique to Taitung. Xuanwu Temple selects flesh-and-blood people to play the role of Lord Handan (an incarnation of the God of Wealth), to be carried through the streets on a palanquin while firecrackers are thrown at them. The faithful believe that the greater the din of the firecrackers, the more prosperous the coming year will be.

Bombing Lord Handan (Taitung City)（photo by Chuang Kung-ju）

Miaoli Dragon Bombing (Miaoli City)

In Hakka areas of Miaoli City, the Dragon Bombing is an unusual and distinctively Hakka Lantern Festival event. While a dragon dance is performed, firecrackers are set off all around.

Miaoli Dragon Bombing (Miaoli City) (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (Tainan City)

Strictly speaking, the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks is a ceremony for warding off epidemic diseases. This ritual of thanks to the deities has been held for many years, and today has become a must-see event in the celebration of Lantern Festival in southern Taiwan.

Miaoli Dragon Bombing (Miaoli City) (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Shezi Earth God Procession (Taipei City)

Worship of the Yenong Earth God on Shezi Island is mainly centered in Fu’an Neighborhood. The neighborhood is divided into four sections, and at about 6 p.m. on Lantern Festival, local young people set out carrying four palanquins with Earth God icons on tours of the area. Wherever they go, firecrackers are set off, and the greater the number of explosions, the greater will be people’s financial good fortune. The festivities bring the night alive all over Shezi.

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (Tainan City) (photo by Jimmy Lin)

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (Tainan City) (photo by Jimmy Lin)

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (Tainan City) (photo by Jimmy Lin)

Shezi Earth God Procession (Taipei City)　(photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Shezi Earth God Procession (Taipei City)　(photo by Lin Min-hsuan)