The 2015 Yanshui Beehive Rockets event bursts into action on March 5th. Ranked among the world’s top three folk festivals, the Yanshui Beehive Rockets is an experience every Taiwanese should try at least once in their lifetime. Before the Lantern Festival in 2015, the rockets were displayed as ornamental lanterns at the Wu Temple Cultural Museum for public viewing. On the night of the Lantern Festival, they transform into towering main rocket towers, firing thousands of rockets to usher in good fortune for the new year.

The “Yanshui Beehive Rockets” tradition is said to date back to the summer months of July and August in the 11th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign during the Qing Dynasty, when cholera and plague swept through Yanshui. With limited medical resources at the time, the death toll rose rapidly, causing panic among residents who prayed to the God of Guan Yu for deliverance. On the night of the Lantern Festival, Guan Yu ordered General Zhou Cang to lead the procession, with the divine palanquin bringing up the rear. Devotees followed the palanquin, setting off firecrackers as they paraded through the streets until dawn, driving away the plague. Ever since, descendants have continued the tradition of inviting the God of Guan Yu to patrol the town on the night of the Lantern Festival each year.

The event includes suburban processions, where fully armored palanquins and bearers push the sacred sedan through the town’s streets; nighttime parades, where groups of armed palanquins slowly advance through the streets surrounded by thousands of locals and tourists; and when the palanquins reach shops or residences, the owners place various-sized rocket towers (also known as rocket forts) on the road before lighting the fuses. The Yanshui Beehive Rockets are set off in rapid succession, with earsplitting buzzing sounds and blazing trails, creating a thrilling and explosive spectacle that draws numerous domestic and international visitors each year to “brave the rockets.” People believe that enduring the rocket shower can ward off disasters, cleanse bad luck, and bring increasing prosperity in the coming year.