On the 14th and 15th nights of the first lunar month, the palanquin of Guan Di, the god of war, tours the streets of Yanshui, and from doorways along the way racks of bottle rockets are fired towards it — and into the crowd in helmets that follows.
A god against the plague
The most popular story of the festival’s origin tells of an epidemic that raged through Yanshui in 1885. Residents prayed to Guan Di, the god of war, at the local Guan Di Temple, and carried his statue through the area in a palanquin from the 13th to the 15th days of the first lunar month, setting off vast numbers of firecrackers along the route. The plague ended, and from then on it became the custom to fire off firecrackers whenever Guan Di paraded through town at the Lantern Festival. People believe that running through the flying fireworks rids them of bad luck and brings a prosperous new year.
Rocket towers
At first, strings of firecrackers were set off to thank the god. Bottle rockets appeared soon after the Second World War, in 1945; rocket towers followed in 1980, and in 1984 plastic replaced the paper wads in the rockets, making them louder and more powerful. Today a tower, or gun deck, has a metal base and several levels, topped with a metal net on which thousands or even hundreds of thousands of rockets are fixed to fire in every direction from one central fuse. The towers wait indoors until Guan Di’s palanquin arrives, then are rolled out and lit in his honour.
What was once a one-day event now lasts two days, with processions by day and by night along set routes. In 2026 a main rocket rack was also set up on the sports field of Yanshui Junior High School, where visitors in protective gear could experience “running through the beehive fireworks”. Together with the Pingxi sky lanterns, Yanshui’s rockets are Taiwan’s two great Lantern Festival events.
When it happens
The procession of Guan Di’s palanquin and the rocket barrages run from the morning of the 14th day to late at night on the 15th day of the first lunar month, with the climax on the night of the 15th. In 2026 the festival was held on 2 and 3 March.
- February 19 – 20, 2027Calculated
- February 8 – 9, 2028Calculated
- February 26 – 27, 2029Calculated
- February 16 – 17, 2030Calculated
Visiting with respect
Avoid
- Do not enter the firecracker zone without full protective gear. Rubber raincoats and fabrics that burn or melt easily are unsafe.
Stay safe
- Participants need a full-face helmet, a scarf or towel around the neck, a cotton or denim jacket, long trousers, gloves and flat shoes or sneakers. Vendors in downtown Yanshui sell thick jackets, helmets and gloves.
- Downtown Yanshui is closed to traffic from 3 pm; park outside the centre and walk in.
Sources
This entry was written from the following sources.
- Yanshui Beehive RocketsMinistry of the Interior, Taiwan Religious Culture Map · read September 17, 2026
- Tainan Yanshui Beehive Fireworks FestivalTourism Bureau of Tainan City Government · read September 17, 2026
- Traditional FestivalsTourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) · read September 17, 2026
- Taiwan travel advice: safety and securityUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · read September 17, 2026
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Las Fallas
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