If you're new here, I just want to say how much I appreciate your dropping by! Oh, and you may want to subscribe to my feed. Thanks, and a tip o' the hat to ya!

If you…

• … are the adventurous type
• … have a few extra frequent flier miles you can use around January (or money to burn)
• … want to do something completely and totally different to celebrate the New Year

… and most importantly to your spouse (if you have one)…

• … are paid up on your life insurance

… well Bubba, there’s one place that comes to mind whose annual New Year’s tradition will really blow your socks off. Seriously.

In the southern Taiwan town of Yanshui (which translates roughly as Run! Run for your life!), they have an annual fireworks festival that is not to be believed! (OK, I made that up about the translation. But I still think it fits….)

Now it’s true that practically Every Place On Earth tries to outdo everyone else when it comes to fireworks and New Year’s celebrations. But as for Yanshui, well, all I can tell you is, if you ever plan to attend this particular festival, then being dressed properly for the occasion is an absolute must (after you, um, check your sanity at the gate).

Let’s see now; you’ll need a thick padded ski jacket, a motorcycle helmet, some heavy pants, gloves and boots, preferably leather, and a waterproof outer garment like a poncho. Oh, yeah – a set of long underwear made of Kevlar might come in handy too. Not to mention, guys, a steel cup (and I don’t mean for drinking!)

See; here’s the thing…

At this New Year’s event, instead of shooting fireworks into the sky, they aim the fireworks at each other! Whoo-eee! When I was in Taiwan, some of the guys I worked with went (and in a miraculous turn of events, managed to come back alive!) and said it was quite an experience, to say the least!

I’m sorry, folks, but there’s NO WAY I’m takin’ a chance a bottle rocket might fly up any part of my anatomy… I mean, there’s just no way! Huh-uh, no thanks!

Along about now you’re probably saying to yourself, “Why on Earth would anyone do such a goofy thing?” Well, here’s the explanation I managed to come up with:

Once, long ago, a villager offended one of the gods. As the god got angrier and angrier, he decided to destroy the entire village as a lesson. When the villagers got wind of it, they cooked up a plan to fool the angry god.

When he approached to do the deed, the townspeople started shooting firecrackers and fireworks all over the place, making it look like a war was going on. In fact, they even started shooting them at each other! Seeing this, the god thought some OTHER god was in the process of destroying the village, so he left them alone and went away. Thus, the village was saved!

Oh, of course – it makes so much sense now! (Hey, I said it was an explanation; I didn’t say it was a good one.)

Sadly, I was unable to find any statistics on the number of people hurt; arms or legs blown off, or anything like that; but I guess as long as they’re having fun….

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!