Taiwan has a famous explosive festival during the Lunar New Year festivities - the Yanshui beehive fireworks. This year though, the event is being scaled down due to COVID-19.
Hundreds of thousands of fireworks that sound like millions of bees are fired off at the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival in Tainan. Participants have to dress in protective garments and helmets to take part in the explosive event. Many people believe that this ‘baptism in fireworks’ can blast away one’s calamities and troubles in the new year.
But with the pandemic still ongoing, the event is being scaled down. Only 1,000 people will be able to attend the main event at Yanshui Junior High School at 9pm. There will also be some minor shows at 6:30 pm - 60 fireworks barricades blasting off at 15 different sites and temples.
The director of the Yanshui Martial Temple says participants will have to wear masks and be vaccinated with at least two doses of a COVID vaccine.
This year there will be no procession with a palanquin carrying the statue of the god of war leading the way. Local residents say it won’t be as festive as usual as many foreign tourists often come to experience the festivities. But even so, they say people are welcome to watch the event live online.