Lantern Festival is held on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, marking the end of the New Year celebrations. However, the way this festival is celebrated varies across Taiwan. Miaoli has the Bombing Dragon event, Taipei has the Pingxi Sky Lanterns, and in Yanshui, you can experience the Beehive Fireworks Festival. Despite living in Tainan for the past three years, I have not joined this event, as it is said to be very dangerous. I can imagine that having hundreds or thousands of fireworks shot at people is not the best event to attend 😂. Taitung also has a similar celebration called the Bombing Master Handan Festival, which has been celebrated since 1954. Every year, one volunteer represents the local God of wealth, Master Han Dan. This volunteer, wearing only red shorts, a scarf, and goggles, stands in the middle of the crowd while people throw firecrackers at him.
It seems that Taiwanese people love dangerous events, don't you think?
Last Friday (01/27) marked the beginning of the Dragon Bombing event, which we attended for the first time. On Friday noon, it was just a warm-up before the actual festival held on 02/04. Yongzhen Temple in Toufen held a warm-up event where two dragons danced and were bombed with firecrackers. As we have just recently moved to Miaoli last September, I am still exploring and learning about Hakka traditions. This festival can only be seen in Miaoli, making it a very unique event!
See also: Miaoli Cloud Fire Dragon Festival
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Dragon Bombing Festival (火旁龍)
The Dragon Bombing Festival (火旁龍) is an annual ritual held during the Lantern Festival and is unique to the Hakka people in Miaoli. It was introduced to Taiwan by Hakka immigrants from mainland China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. The festival originated from the Chinese dragon dance and serves as a dragon-welcoming celebration. During the ritual, performers maneuver the dragon in a dance while others set off a large number of firecrackers to "kill" evil spirits, get rid of the old, and welcome the New Year. This event is considered a precious traditional folk custom and one of the 12 major festivals of Taiwan's Hakka villages.
In the early days, Hakka families who migrated to Taiwan faced challenging environments and struggled for survival. After the busy farming period at the end of the year, they would form a "Dragon Team" and make the dragon used in the dance during the slack time before the start of the new lunar year. As the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month) approached, many dragon teams in Miaoli would begin practicing their dance while waiting for family members who had left the village for work to return home and celebrate the New Year together. The dragon dance is performed to welcome the dragon to the community and greet the New Year before villagers resume farming and work after the Lantern Festival, symbolizing the beginning of a new year and praying for a disaster-free year, good weather, and an abundant harvest. The dragon dance is also a way to welcome auspiciousness, peace, and good fortune into the lives of the people.
While dragon dance performances can be seen all over Taiwan, the custom of bombing the dragon is unique to Miaoli. This event is held in the front square of Miaoli's Yuqing Temple (玉清宮) as part of the temple celebrations, creating a vibrant atmosphere and enriching the cultural displays.
For the Hakka people in Taiwan, the Lunar New Year celebration starts from the first day of the first lunar month and continues until the fifteenth day. There is a Hakka saying that "the 15th day of the first month is more important than celebrating the New Year," emphasizing the liveliness of their Lantern Festival celebrations. Along with enjoying Hakka glutinous rice balls, radish buns, viewing lanterns, and solving riddles, the Dragon Bombing event represents a culmination of the celebrations. This event not only welcomes the arrival of spring and wishes for happiness but also holds profound meaning in preserving traditional customs and passing on cultural heritage.
Seven Stages of the "Bombing the Dragon" Event
1. Dragon-making: The dragon is crafted by the dragon master using bamboo and paper, completed before the ninth day of the first lunar month, which coincides with the legendary Jade Emperor's birthday.
2. Walking with the dragon: The "Hakka Dragon Altar" is set up, and the ceremony of settling the dragon spirit takes place.
3. Dragon eye-dotting: People pray to the God of Heaven to infuse spirit into the dragon body, and the dragon dances through the village, providing protection and blessings to the people.
4. Welcoming the dragon: The Hakka people believe that a visit from the Divine Dragon or "Shenlong (神龍)" signifies a visit from the gods, which can protect against local disasters and bring good luck to households in the New Year.
5. Following the dragon: Following the dragon during its dance procession is believed to bring peace and good fortune.
6. Dragon bombing: As the dragon becomes more prosperous, people set off firecrackers to welcome the dragon, drive away evil spirits, and enhance the festive atmosphere.
7. Sending the dragon back to the sky: At the end of the Lantern Festival, to express gratitude to the gods for sending their spirits embodied in the dragon to bless the people, the Hakka people set the dragon ablaze, symbolizing the completion of its mission, and then send the divine dragon back to heaven.
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