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Yuming Vocational High School (2009 CyberFair Project ID 5629)
Taiwan,
Miaoli
Official Status:
Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 8. Local Music and Art Forms
We estimate 9 student(s) from 16 to 18 will work on this entry.
Description of Our Community: The dragon dance can be seen all around Taiwan, but “bombing the dragons” can only be seen in Miaoli’s Hakka region. In early days, agriculture was the main economic activity for the Hakka people in Miaoli. Their lives were closely related to temple fairs and festivals. In addition to the regular dragon dance, dragons are also deified in “dragon-welcoming” activities to bring people safety, auspiciousness and good harvests. The small towns around Miaoli City, such as Gongguan, Touwu and Tongluo, used to have dragon dances every Lantern Festival. But because there are more stores (and more red envelopes) in Miaoli City, the dragon dance is mainly seen here as a grand annual occasion. The dragon dance and parade not only attract tourists to Miaoli but have also become one of the most important Lantern Festival activities during the Chinese New Year.
Project Description: “Bombing the dragons” is a traditional custom developed by the Hakka people in Miaoli, Taiwan. It is also part of the four folk events during the Chinese New Year: Sky Lantern Festival (northern Taiwan), Dragon-Bombing Festival (central Taiwan), Beehive Rockets Festival (southern Taiwan) and Bombing Han-Dan Festival (eastern Taiwan).
In the “dragon-bombing” activities, a great amount of firecrackers and beehive rockets are used to eliminate evil influences and welcome the New Year. Teams usually start practicing the dragon dance before the Lantern Festival and it builds up to a climax on that day, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere for the New Year.