Of all the strange things in Taiwan (which I have checked and confirmed is a lot), this festival must have been one of the craziest. Almost like a running of the bulls but Taiwanese style, a running of the fireworks.
We coated ourselves with armor: boots, jeans, gloves, jackets, scarves, face masks, helmets, glasses, towels, and anything else we could throw on, and took a train to the war zone.
Imagine thousands of Taiwanese people in airtight costumes- duck taped towels, actual shields, and Mickey Mouse helmets, huddled together on a warm Winter night, hopping up and down, getting directly shot at by fireworks. 
No joke, the festival is celebrated by having the fireworks shot on the people. I am sure it has a great and historical story about a war god, but it has turned into a sort of self-punishment adrenaline rush. Either way, it was really fun, exciting, and so oddly Taiwanese.
Then we went home on a two-story bus with reclining bed seats, personal TVs, and built in massagers. Oh Taiwan.
No comments:
Post a Comment