Explosives also play a part in the Bombing Lord Handan ritual, part of the New Year festivities in Taitung County, on Taiwan’s eastern coast. On the night of the festival, a local citizen plays the role of Lord Handan while four men carry him through the streets on a bamboo chair. As they tour the slim streets and alleys, followers and shop keepers bombard the Lord with fireworks. Though the festival was banned from 1984 to 1989, it is now recognized as an important part of Taiwanese folk culture. (Photo credit: Taiwan Tourism Bureau)