Yanshui Fireworks Festival (鹽水蜂炮) | Taiwan’s Most Dangerous "Beehive" Festival (2023)

foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] far from remaining at a safe distance crowds Gather in their thousands at a ganshui festival in Taiwan all with the common aim of trying to get hit by the fireworks the Yen shui beehive Festival has been given the title of the third largest folk celebration in the world it's also taiwan's largest religious event it's also been named as one of the world's top 10 most dangerous festivals as well as one of the top 10 best festivals and yet you've probably never heard of it [Music] today as you watch from a safe distance behind your screens I take you deep inside the Beehive to experience the intense sights sounds and smells of this unique Festival and received a famous baptism of fireworks so you don't have to [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] this Festival takes place over two days but it's the final day that's the most epic and of course that's the day that we are going to today Yen Shue is located just a short Journey away from where I live in Tainan so I am actually a little bit nervous about what we're doing today where I'm taking you guys hope I'm prepared firstly we've got to get the train to a place called shining where I will meet my friends who'll pick me up and go to a very exciting place so this place that we're going to is actually pretty intense and I did basically an Instagram post to see who would dare to come with me because the stuff that I've read about it um yeah it's pretty intense even for my standards so luckily enough I did find someone who um Not only would go with me but who has actually been before so they can show me the ropes on them also help me prepare the necessary things foreign now just gotta find my friends and then get going hello for this video I got together two local friends to show me the ropes help me prepare and hopefully keep each other safe and have some fun of course [Music] It's tricky to get close to yantry during this time as traffic control will be implemented in the downtown area but we have a plan we've got a friend he's living inside so you can get the pass but if we don't have this friend and then we leaving other streets and we have to stop our car in um but we can get a pad so we can just drive it to inside so it's your first time going actually my it's my second time but last time I'm not doing the crazy like this oh yeah yeah yeah yeah okay I just see the edges then far from it all the questions [Music] hi Papa on the days of the festival the whole town prepares to welcome the thousands that travel to take part you can expect packed streets and fireworks being set off everywhere there are also Street vendors who will sell you full protective outfits for those who came unprepared a full suit will set you back around 2000 NTD or over 60 US dollars [Music] the festival is no joke and you should genuinely be prepared at all times not just when you're standing near a wall of fireworks it's recommended to have a full helmet a towel around your neck cardboard protectors many layers and a fireproof coat foreign [Music] and Pig's head I wasn't feeling too adventurous today so we stuck with the emien traditional noodles usually made with pork gravy and spring onions they can be found throughout Taiwan but Yen shui does them like nowhere else [Music] what are we eating yeah dried noodle does it sound pretty good what is special about some of the special ones actually I don't know okay maybe you can ask me after we eat okay let's try [Music] [Music] it yensry itself is a little quaint Town it used to be a fishing Hub the name means salt water [Music] being one of Thailand's oldest towns it's well worth getting here early to have a stroll through its old streets enjoy the early period buildings which were once Merchants houses and to visit the Octagon building a two-floor building constructed in 1847. the building is an interesting piece of architecture and the second floor is made entirely of wood [Music] we soaked up the atmosphere for a couple of hours and noticeably as the evening progressed things were starting to get more exciting as the crowds were getting more and more and the smell of smoke overpowered anything else going on it was soon time for things to get very intense very quickly but firstly you might be wondering what on Earth this is all about well this Festival actually has an interesting history it has its origins in the Qing Dynasty during Emperor guangxi's reign a plague broke out in yanshui and many hundreds were dying or falling ill at this time there was no Western medicine to cure these illnesses and it was normal to turn to deities for help the people turned to guangong the God of War he instructed that the people on the final day of the Lunar New Year celebrations should Circle the town with his statue they should also set off fireworks along the way it is said that after the town's people did this the town was cured of the disease and thus the traditional has been upheld annually now when fireworks pass through the town and inevitably hit both people and shops it is said to bring good look and great fortune in the coming year this is why people stand in front of these walls of fireworks trying to get hit [Music] people devoted to religion also choose to build their own beehives or the walls of fireworks and this was our first experience in the entry Festival as we headed to the main area we got caught up in a street as one of the many of these beehives was parading through on their way to the main area these giant structures are known as beehives as they are big walls full of fireworks once they're set off they give off the sound of thousands of bees it is said that only when someone builds a beehive for three or more consecutive years they will only then begin to reap the benefits of their devotion they can be pretty pricey at around 2 000 US dollars to build and about a one month of labor but locals argue that the benefits gained from setting off their beehives far outweigh any losses during this time [Music] one beehive can hold anything between two thousand and two hundred thousand fireworks and we were about to feel the wrath of this one all right very dark here Lots going on lots of people I think she's about to go first the card stops and then should be prepared and opened this takes some time so we had a chance to chat to the crowd and get some tips from the locals apparently the trick is to jump foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] an incredible experience that was both terrifying and exhilarating as soon as it began it was over again with a helmet full of smoke ears ringing and adrenaline rushing we slowly started to carry on our way towards the main area as I mentioned in the beginning the final night is the big night and that's due to the festivities where everyone gathers for the big finale in this main area five big cards are prepared in the middle of a big space each will be satellite one at a time from the outside moving closer in as they get closer to the stage they also get bigger and bigger and the crowd follows them as they're lit up in between the lighting of each there are fireworks and other displays set up to make sure the sky is constantly kept alight okay everyone is currently going towards these massive like truck things because they're going to set off about two hundred thousand fireworks [Music] laughs how was your time being hit yeah [Music] [Music] the main event kicks off at 9pm and it's pretty intense from the get-go [Music] if you're not in the middle of the crowd being hit by fireworks you're probably recovering from just having been and attempting to get a good spot at the next one whether you want to experience it from the front line Sidelines or much further back each standpoint gives you a unique experience and I'd recommend trying all three if you are well prepared [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] terrified the Drone would be hit by fireworks any second I decided to get down from the skies and instead take you deep inside the crowds to the front lines [Music] [Applause] foreign [Applause] got out of my second one out of the second one and now everyone the whole crowd is all moving to go to the third one they're my friends confusing them oh how was it guys how many times did you get hit I think ten times at least 10 times you got hit yeah right oh my feet okay now for the third one [Music] let's go let's go [Music] behind foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Applause] like most intense events this one felt like it was over just as it started as soon as we got out of the car it was full on with people the fireworks and the smoke foreign [Laughter] it's a unique Festival full of history and culture and truly a once in a lifetime experience Lima minions okay okay so good nice well needed all I can taste is is smoke [Music] before we finish I want to give a massive thank you to my patrons Without You producing videos like this would just not be possible a big thank you to Clark James Charles Alex Simon James Hickman yusuke hata Eric Stephanie the boat dwellers and Paul Wilson thank you so much for your constant support for this channel it really really means a lot if you want to consider becoming a patron and supporting this channel then do head over to patreon you can find me there on Zoe discovers and you can find the link in the video description below and if you want to show support for this channel but don't have any extra cash then please hit the like button hit the Subscribe button if you haven't already and leave a comment why not thank you so much and tune in next week foreign [Music]