There is a saying, “PingxiSky Lantern in the North, Yanshui Beehive in the South, Bombing Lord Han Dan in the East, and Houjin Gan Wei in the west.”
During the Lantern Festival, many special events are held in different areas in Taiwan. And these Lantern Festival events often appear on world news headlines, becoming a representative of Taiwan festivals.
It is said that the Taitung Bombing Lord Han Dan event started in 1961 by an owner of a Shaved Ice dessert store in Taitung city. However, as culture workers searched deeper into the origin of the Bombing Lord Han Dan, they found that the Bombing Lord Han Dan event originated in Miaoli Zhunan.
Bombing Lord Han Dan is a religious custom only found in Taiwan. According to legends, the Bombing Lord Han Dan was a tradition that evolved from the festivals of the Pingpu Aborigines (平埔族), combined with the religious beliefs of the Holo (閩南人).
People believe that Lord Handan is the god of wealth. Every year, volunteers play the role of Lord Handan because they hope to receive blessings from the Lord Handan deity.
There is some difference between the two Bombing Lord Han Dan events in Taitung and Miaoli. In Taitung, a Lord Handan impersonator will sit on the palanquin with a statue of Lord Handan strapped to the top. And he will accept being thrown by firecrackers on his naked body.
While in Miaoli, four naked warriors carry the sedan chair with a statue of Lord Handan strapped to the top of the palanquin. And firecrackers are thrown on their naked body along their route.
The Miaoli Bombing Lord Han Dan event is usually held every year at the Lantern Festival. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, the Miaoli Bombing Lord Han Dan event had to be postponed.
The 2021 Miaoli Bombing Lord Han Dan event will be on April 25. This year the organizers have taken strict protective measures to avoid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The activity is not held on continuous holidays, and the peak of the coronavirus outburst, the organizers have been more careful than the previous years. People participating the event must remember to follow the pandemic preventative measures.
More information can be found at Jhunan Jhonggang Cihyu temple Facebook.
Watch the video here.
