Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (鹽水蜂炮)
I’ll start with some photos then slowly add some text.
If you don’t know what Yanshui is, this article by Steven Crook explains it well.
Next year’s festival falls on a Sunday, so promises to be big. Festival information can be found on The War Temple’s website or the “Taiwan Festivals” website. To get a good feel of the festival, check out New York filmmaker Glen Chin’s trailer to his documentary in progress at: www.AFestivalForTheAges.com
A “fire shower” often before the wall comes out. One of the few easy things to photograph.
The intricately fused wall loaded with bottle rockets looses its payload on the people standing in front of it.
This small but furious wall set off later in the evening was a joy to photograph because there was an empty field between the salvo and my camera.
A palanquin bearer dances in a barrage of firecrackers so his clothing is less likely to catch fire and it tends to ease the pain.
A joss is paraded over firecrackers before the wall is set off.
A participant stands in front of an angry hive of bottle rockets.
Palanquin bearers brace themselves for the onslaught in the early evening light.
More of the same.
A wall spews its load into the crowd.
A spent wall begins to shoot its load upwards and the smoke begins to clear.
A joss on palanquin- set up-joss protected by tin, mesh and plexiglass-palanquin bearers ready for action
firecrackers-rockets-more rockets-and more rockets (I was still wearing day shorts and tee. This was an early and unexpected wall. Got belted by some stray rockets, probably the trails seen in the picture. Drew blood. Happy it didn’t get me in the eye, or worse, my camera)
The Aftermath. A newspaper said that 150 tons of firework detritus was cleaned up off the streets the following morning.
It’s Eric’s year.
The town is well worth wandering around.
A yue chin player-san he yuan-catholic church-banyan growing on old train station building
War God-war god temple-palanquin-streets in daytime
Five fire trucks ready for action-wall, ready for action-teapot, ready for action-inside of wall
Liefintaiwan 