10. Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival
Ever wanted to be in the middle of a wand-wielding firefight like the kind you’ve seen in the Harry Potter movies? It aint Hogwarts, but the Yanshui “Beehive festival” in Taiwan comes close.
On the fourteenth and fifteenth day of Lunar New Year, locals gather by the Wu Miao Temple in the Yanshui district to set off thousands of fireworks.
Photo by Ricj J. Matheson
Villagers surround “Beehives,” (or launching pads) loaded with thousands of bottle rockets. Then, they set the hives on fire releasing an onslaught of fiery sparks surging aimlessly throughout the square.
For their protection, people wear whatever they can get a hold of: motorcycle helmets, fire-proof jackets, clothes, you name it. Still, people are burned each year. But, it’s considered lucky to be hit by a spark.
According to local legend, the first festival started in the 1800s, when the city was ravaged by plague and cholera. A local shaman set off fireworks to summon Guan Gong, the Chinese God of War, who vanquished the diseases.
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