MIAOLI, Taiwán.- Wearing shorts and protective glasses, four men place a palanquin with a deity of fortune on their shoulders and walk through a cloud of firecrackers aimed at them, a tradition that marks the end of the lunar New Year in Taiwan.
The unusual celebration is known as “the bombing of Master Han Dan” and has been practiced for more than a century in Zhunan, in the northwest of the island.
The tradition consists of throwing firecrackers at a deity and those who carry it, with the risk of being injured. The festival was born after a plague epidemic, explains Chen Chien-long, head of the organizing committee.
“Master Han Dan came down from the sky and told the people: ‘You must bombard the plague with firecrackers,'” he continued. “The firecrackers also warmed Master Han Dan, who feared the cold,” he says.
Since then, Master Han Dan is a deity of good fortune and small detonations are considered auspicious.
“The more firecrackers we set off, the more prosperous we will be,” Chen says.
The celebration usually takes place on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year and this year it took place on Saturday, with hundreds of spectators watching the event.
Covering their ears to protect themselves from the loud explosions, they tried to record the scene with their smartphones.
Next to him, some people dressed in yellow with hats, gloves and protective masks lit the firecrackers and threw them at the procession.
In the center, four men carried the deity on their shoulders, decorated with some palm leaves. Those responsible for carrying Master Han Dan also brought a broom to drive away evil spirits.
One of them, Chao Jen-hao, said he followed a vegetarian diet and avoided all sin for three days in order to prepare for the event.
“For me, carrying the palanquin is showing my dedication,” he declared, insisting that “there is no pain” when the explosions of firecrackers graze his tattooed skin.
“As long as my heart is with Master Han Dan, everything will be fine,” the 28-year-old said.
Lien Chong-liang, on the other hand, explained that walking in the procession is like “being in the middle of a gunfight.” But “I fear nothing,” said the 63-year-old man who has been carrying divinity for 15 years.
“Obviously there will be some wounds on the body, it’s normal. But for me it’s not serious,” he said.
Source: AFP
