In Yanshui Township in Tainan County, the Lantern Festival is celebrated not with the serene sight of colorful lanterns, but with the raucous revelry of a fireworks shower. The fireworks are launched from a battery of bamboo tubes tied together, with thousands of the projectiles launched continuously and pelting spectators like a swarm of bees. For this reason, the event is also known as the "Swarm of Fireworks."

      The festival begins at dusk with the setting off of the fully adorned spirit palanquin and carriers from Wu Temple, throughout the whole town streets, all one can see or smell are fireworks. The most impressive of all the fireworks is the "cannon wall" which is lit to thank the gods for their blessing. The scale of the cannon walls vary, though most consist of tens of thousands of firecrackers which pound the sky with a deafening roar. When the spirit palanquin approaches the cannon wall, the wall custodian pulls open the red cloth and lights the firecrackers, releasing an explosion of light, color and ear-splitting sound that is the climax of the fireworks evening.

      It was said that the origin of the custom began in 1875 when Yanshui was stricken with a pestilence that lasted for twenty years and nearly wiped out the town's entire population. The few survivors supplicated the spirit of Kuan Kung for his worship to come to inspect the ravished land. On the day of the Lantern Festival, when Kuan Kung and the deities of Heaven came to earth to witness their plight, the town residents lined the route with signal fires and firecrackers to help the spirits ward off evil and rid the town of disease. When all was done, the plague was nowhere to be seen, and ever since then the people of Yanshui invite Kuan Kung to inspect the land every year on Lantern Festival, lighting firecrackers to herald his arrival on earth. This custom is continued today in the unique and spectacular Yanshui Fireworks.

      The villagers of Yenshui believe that the fireworks drive away evil spirits, so the celebration continues to grow year by year. Because Kuan Kung is regarded as a fortune god to businessmen, it is thought that more fireworks will bring greater wealth in the New Year, thus businessmen enthusiastically participate in this activity. In order to enjoy the fireworks without sustaining injury, it is necessary to cover oneself from head to toe in protective raingear, gloves and a helmet, as if preparing for battle. When under attack from the hail of bullets, with the flash and sound of explosions all around, participants can enjoy firsthand the world's most thunderous folk ceremony.