After Lunar New Year, Min Min and her family were gathered in the living room. They were chatting over tea. Min Min’s father suddenly asked,“Min Min, do you want to watch the Beehive Fireworks?”“What are Beehive Fireworks?”She had never heard of the term before, and asked her father curiously.

Her father turned on the computer and said,“Beehive Fireworks are a highlight of the annual Lantern Festival celebrations in Yanshui District, Tainan. Beehive Fireworks are so called because they are a huge cluster of fireworks bundled together. Once lit, all the fireworks soar into the sky at the same time, just like a swarm of bees flying out of their hive. This is why they are called Beehive Fireworks.”

Min Min’s father opened YouTube and typed the keyword “Beehive Fireworks” into the search bar. Sure enough, there were many videos on of Beehive Fireworks. Min Min’s father clicked on one of the videos, which showed a group of people wearing thick jackets and safety helmets. They were waiting to see the Beehive Fireworks. Min Min asked, “Father, why are they all covered up? Is it very cold?”Her father laughed and said, “Haha! Keep on watching, and you will know why.”

Few minutes later, the Beehive Fireworks were lit. The fireworks whistled as they streaked into the sky and burst into bright balls of light. Everyone shouted excitedly and kept dodging to avoid being hit by the fireworks. Min Min turned around and told her father,“Now I see. Those people wore thick jackets and helmets to protect themselves from the fireworks. But why do people light Beehive Fireworks?”

Min Min’s mother said,“Long ago, a plague hit Yanshui District, and many people died. No one knew what to do. One day, during the annual Lantern Festival, someone invited the mighty Holy Ruler Deity Guan to make his rounds in Yanshui to chase the plague away. Every family set off firecrackers to welcome the Holy Ruler Deity Guan as he passed by their door. After that, the plague slowly died down, and this practice became a tradition of the annual Lantern Festival celebrations at Yanshui. As time passed, people switched from lighting firecrackers to lighting Beehive Fireworks, which then evolved to become the famous Beehive Fireworks celebration.”Min Min’s eyes shone with excitement as she said,“I see! Father! Mother! I would like to see the fireworks! Please take me there!” 

　　農曆正月十五日是元宵節，臺灣各地都會舉辦熱鬧的慶祝活動，其中最有名的是鹽水蜂炮和平溪天燈。
　　過完年了，敏敏一家人坐在客廳一邊喝茶一邊聊天，爸爸忽然開口問：「敏敏想不想看蜂炮？」「蜂炮？什麼是蜂炮？」敏敏第一次聽到這個詞兒，很好奇地問爸爸。
　　爸爸邊打開電腦邊說：「蜂炮是臺南鹽水的元宵節慶祝活動，所謂的蜂炮，是指許多沖天炮組成的大炮臺，點燃後，所有的沖天炮一起發射，就好像成群的蜜蜂飛出來的樣子，所以叫做蜂炮。」
　　爸爸連到youtube，打了關鍵字「蜂炮」，就出現好多蜂炮的影片，爸爸點選了其中一個，影片呈現的是一群穿著厚外套、戴著安全帽的人，正在等待點燃蜂炮的時辰。敏敏問：「爸，他們為什麼包得緊緊的？很冷嗎？」爸爸笑著說：「哈哈哈，你看下去就知道了，我先賣個關子。」
　　時間一分一秒地過去了，忽然有人點燃了蜂炮，咻－咻－咻地劃破黑暗的天空，所有的人拼命尖叫、閃躲，深怕被蜂炮射到。敏敏這時候才明白，她說：「原來大外套、安全帽是為了避免受傷，可是為什麼要放蜂炮呢？」
　　媽媽說：「很久以前，鹽水這個地方流行瘟疫，死了好多人，大家都不知道該怎麼辦才好。後來有人在元宵節時恭請關聖帝君繞境，想把瘟疫趕走，鹽水的家家戶戶就在關聖帝君經過時放鞭炮，瘟疫才慢慢地平息下來，以後每年元宵節大家都會這樣子做。日子久了，就從放鞭炮變成放蜂炮，成為現在知名的慶祝活動。」敏敏覺得好有趣，「原來是這樣子呀！爸，媽！我想去！帶我去！」

鹽水武廟網站http://www.wumiao.idv.tw/