The second trip to Taitung was only for two days but we got to see a lot of interesting cultural activites. From the 17th to the 20th of February is a local holiday in Taitung know as "The Bombing of Master Han Dan" or in Chinese "寒單爺". This holiday honors the local god "Han Dan" by throwing firecrackers at a person being carried on a ceremonial chair and wearing only red shorts and a mask and carrying a branch for protection. There are two stories surrounding the tradition. The first is that there was a gangster in Taitung who one day decided to turn his life around and allowed the people in the town to throw firecrackers at him for repentance. The other story is that the local god Han Dan is cold during the spring so they throw firecrackers at him to keep him warm and bring wealth. In any case, the person who has firecrackers thrown at him is still ceremonially representing the god Han Dan, who is said to protect the person from harm. However after the event is over the person is covered in welts and burns, and is sometimes even bleeding. The other picture is of aboriginal dancers in Taitung. Taitung is actually home to seven of the 14 aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, so they have a very rich traditional culture. These dancers were also participating in the Han Dan ceremonies, but they were not getting firecrackers thrown at them. In Taitung we also got to meet the mayor, go to feed the fish at the beach, and go to the hot springs. It was a lot of really fun activites for only two days!
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