HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LANTERN FESTIVAL IN TAIWAN|全台慶元宵 台東炸寒單 野柳神明淨港

Festivities are under way all over Taiwan to celebrate the Lantern Festival. In Taitung, the most prominent is the bombing of Lord Handan, in which people accompanying the statue of the god Lord Handan are bombarded with firecrackers as a sign of warding off evil. In northern Taiwan, the Harbor Purification Festival features disciples jumping into the fishing harbor carrying the god's palanquin, even in frigid temperatures, to pray for good catches and safe fishing over the coming year. Even under the recent cold spell, disciples participating in the Yehliu Harbor Purification festival jump into the fishing harbor carrying the god's palanquin. A major Lantern Festival celebration in northern Taiwan, the event's participants swim 400 meters to the other end of the harbor. 250 people participated in the dive this year, the oldest being 72-year-old Wu Li Mien, who is participating for the sixth year. ==WU LI-MIEN Dive Participant== (Were you worried about the cold?) No. If you are determined, you don't feel worried. ==HSU TE-TSAI Renhe Temple Chair, Yehliu== The purification of the harbor means driving out the evil spirits that lurking in the bottom. The purification is led by the deified Sacred Prince of Zhangzhou. The statue of the god is carried to an inspection of the seas on a fishing boat, in hope for a good year for fishermen. In Taitung, the most prominent of the festivities is the bombing of Lord Handan. The first bombing took place on the evening of the 10th. Even in 12-degree temperatures and a drizzle, the public reception was enthusiastic. The mayor of Taitung sat on the palanquin as the Lord Handan figure. ==CHANG KUO-CHOU Taitung City Mayor== We hope that in the coming year, there will be no disasters in Taitung and the people will enjoy peace and safety. A bombing of Lord Handan was also held during the daytime at Fengan Temple. Many people returned home to Taitung just to take part in the festival, in the hope that the Handan culture will continue. ==PARTICIPANT== The "din tao" folk culture can't be lost. (Does it hurt to have a firecracker explode on your body?) It doesn't matter if it hurts. It's culture. The bombing of Lord Handan began as a ceremony to ward off evil and pray for peace. It was once considered part of gangster culture, but now it is considered a part of Taiwan's traditional cultural heritage. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 元宵節各地慶祝活動不少，在台東則是炸寒單爺活動最受注目，肉身寒單承受鞭炮炮轟，象徵驅邪避兇；北台灣則是有野柳的神明淨港儀式，就算寒流來襲，信徒還是扛著神轎，跳進漁港，祈求今年平安豐收。 不怕寒流，扛著神轎就跳下漁港，元宵節北台灣重要慶典之一的野柳神明淨港，吸引不少信徒參加，神明淨港儀式不只民眾和神明一起下水，勇渡400公尺到漁港對岸，還有250位民眾參加跳水儀式，最年長的是72歲的吳李麵阿嬤，已經第六年參加。 ==跳水儀式參加者 吳李麵== （今天很冷會不會壓力很大） 不會 有個人的意志力 就不會壓力很大 ==野柳仁和宮主委 林得財== 淨港的意思就是說 把那些港底壞東西趕走的意思 由開漳聖王領軍的神明淨港，還搭著漁船淨海巡洋，希望漁民出港能平安大豐收。元宵節在台東，則是炸寒單最受注目，首場炸寒單10號晚間登場，低溫12度還飄細雨，民眾依舊熱情迎接武財神，台東市長更上轎扮演寒單爺。 ==台東市長 張國洲== 希望未來在新的一年 台東會無災無難 大家會更平安 白天的豐安宮也有炸寒單，不少外地遊子專程返鄉，第一次扮寒單爺，就是希望寒單文化可以傳承。 ==民眾== 陣頭文化 這民俗文化不能斷 （鞭炮炸到身上會不會痛） 痛不痛是另當別論 這是一種民俗文化 炸寒單早期為驅邪祈福，也曾被視為流氓文化，不過至今已成為具觀光價值的傳統民俗活動，走入文化殿堂。 記者 綜合報導