7. Master Handan

During the Taiwanese lantern festival, people in Taitung County throw firecrackers at a shirtless man playing the role of Master Handan. Some cultural historians believe Master Handan was a god of wealth who could withstand the cold. Throwing firecrackers at men representing the deity, dressed in masks and shorts with only a banyan branch each for protection, is a way of honoring the god and ensuring wealth and prosperity. How the ritual began is unknown, but it was first recorded during the Japanese Imperial Period. Some claim honoring Handan with fireworks was rewarded by the god, who cleared the city of infectious diseases. Scientists believe the heat and thick smoke during the bombardment may have helped reduce the transmission rate of bacterial infection. Others believe Handan was actually the god of gangsters and hooligans.

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Beginning in the 1970s, crime syndicates in Taitung adopted the ritual of “bombarding Master Handan” as a way of determining which rival faction’s leader would become the new boss. Whoever could endure the bombardment for the longest had the cojones to lead the gangsters. The ritual was banned in 1984, and police raids attempted to put a stop to it. But since 1989, the ritual has been officially celebrated as cultural heritage and a tourist attraction for the city. However, veneration of Master Handan is still prevalent in the Taitung underworld, and during the lantern festival, gangsters still mount palanquins exhorting local residents to shoot them with fireworks. In 2006, filmmaker Ho Chao-ti released The Gangster’s God, which explored the cathartic and redemptive aspects of the ritual for its participants and their community.