Experience Warriors Jumping into the Sea and Sedan Chairs Passing Over Fire – Yehliu Harbor Purification Cultural Festival Kicks Off

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

It’s truly “through fire and water”! The New Taipei City Yehliu traditional Lunar New Year festival, the “Yehliu Divine Harbor Purification Cultural Festival,” has now begun. Visitors here can not only watch skilled warriors carry sedan chairs over fire and jump into the sea as part of the harbor purification rituals, but can also personally experience “walking on cold fire” and “passing under the sedan chair on the water surface.” Swimmers need not worry—organizers have designed an “inflatable ball harbor jump” to ensure everyone can take part in this traditional harbor purification activity.

Yehliu Divine Harbor Purification Cultural Festival event: temple personnel carrying a sedan chair jumping into the sea for “harbor purification.” (Photo / from2010 event Facebook, same image below, archival photo)

The “Yehliu Divine Harbor Purification Cultural Festival” runs until February 10, the Lantern Festival. In previous years, the public could only watch temple personnel perform the rituals, with limited participation. The New Taipei City Civil Affairs Bureau stated that this year, a fun fire-walking area has been specially set up in front of Bao’an Temple at the event venue. The fire that participants walk on is specially designed “cold fire” that won’t burn, so there’s no need to worry about being scorched by red-hot charcoal.

The “fire-walking” ritual for the sedan chair: temple personnel carry the sedan chair barefoot across a pile of burning charcoal.

For those who can’t swim or don’t want to get wet, large transparent inflatable balls are set up on the shore. People can stand inside the balls and still enjoy the thrill of jumping into the sea. The city government has also set up a platform at sea with deities placed on it, surrounded by misting devices. As people “pass under the sedan chair,” they will be sprayed with seawater blessed by the deities for blessings.

The Civil Affairs Bureau pointed out that during the event period, 500 free five-colored “crystal blessing bottles” and “peace fortune bags” will be given out daily. The blessing bottles can be filled with water for prayers, while the peace fortune bags contain peace rice, which can be cooked and eaten for safety. For more details about the event, visit theNew Taipei City Civil Affairs Bureau website.