The 22-centimeter Handan statue tied to the palanquin is a point for the incarnate Handans to focus on during the blasting to take their minds off the pain. (Chuang Kung-ju)	The 22-centimeter Handan statue tied to the palanquin is a point for the incarnate Handans to focus on during the blasting to take their minds off the pain. (Chuang Kung-ju)

Usually, the arrival of the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month means the end of the Lunar New Year holiday season, and the festive sound of firecrackers fades away. But in Taitung, it marks the beginning of one of the biggest events of the local year-the "Blasting of Handan."

Every year, in addition to the public event put on by the county government, businesses also invite the god Handan to come and be blasted with firecrackers, to bring them good luck in the new year.

In order to drum up more tourism, the Taitung County festival notched up the amount of firecrackers this year. The private festivals were more concentrated as well, so tourists could see more of them.

There are many explanations of the origin of Taitung's "Blasting Handan" festival. In Taoism, Handan was originally a Shang Dynasty military officer named Zhao Gongming or Zhao Xuandan. He became known as the "Martial God of Wealth" due to his financial resources.

Handan is said to hate the cold, so people throw firecrackers at him to warm him up, believing that the more firecrackers you throw, the better your financial fortune in the new year. Everywhere his palanquin goes, the excitement follows, and firecrackers are set off by the boxload.