In Taitung in Southern Taiwan, the locals celebrate the Lantern Festival by throwing firecrackers at Master Handan, a shirtless man. Legend says the celebration became an annual custom when it coincidentally got rid of infectious diseases that plagued Taitung at the time. Others simply believe the heat and smoke from the fireworks may have stopped the spread of disease.
No matter how it originated, locals have been doing this since the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). Even today, the identity of Master Handan is unknown. Some say he was a rich Shang Dynasty military officer named Chao Gong-Ming, who later became the god of wealth because he was wealthy. People believe throwing firecrackers at him will bring them wealth.
Another story said he was a gangster and that, in order to repent for his wrongdoings, allowed the townspeople to throw fireworks at him. Others think he was the god of gangsters. People believe his power grows in proportion to the number of firecrackers thrown at him. Local gangsters often played the role of Master Handan in the 1970s and 1980s and it soon turned into a contest among rival gangs, so the folk festival was banned in 1984.
Bombarding Master Handan was revived in 1989 with the gang battle replaced by a show of economic might as local businesses demonstrate their financial success by spending upwards of NT$200,000 on fireworks to bombard Master Handan as he travels past their businesses.
During the day-long festival, a local person (usually a man) wears a headscarf, mask and red shorts and stands in a sedan. The man only has a banyan tree branch to protect himself. Master Handan is paraded around Taitung. Worshippers hurl firecrackers at him believing the more they throw, the richer they’ll become. There are others who believe Master Handan does not like the cold, so throwing fireworks his way keeps him warm.
