Da Shuhua: The Chinese equivalent of our Diwali
Diwali – the very name conjures up the image of brightly-lit streets, lots of mithai, new attires, and a lot more. Wait, maybe we are missing something vital. Oh, that’s right, fireworks! After all, what’s the festival of lights without firecrackers? Now, what if we told you that apart from autumn, you can also celebrate Diwali during spring, and that too, in China? How great is that! It will be not only be a welcome change but also a brand-new experience. In China, you will not be observing Diwali but Da Shuhua, and instead of real fireworks, there will be sparks produced from molten metals. Want to know more? Read on!
Da Shuhua: An overview
For those of you who didn’t know, the origin of fireworks can be traced all the way back to ancient China. But that’s a story for another day. Back then, only wealthy people could afford fireworks that were custom-made for special occasions, such as the Lunar Chinese New Year. However, the masses were displeased with this practice and wanted to be a part of this tradition. This is when, almost 500 years ago, a group of blacksmiths hailing from Zhangjiakou in Nuanquan province (west of Beijing) decided to develop their own ingenious version of fireworks.
All they did was heat scrap iron to temperatures above 1800°F and ahead of the New Year throw the molten iron at a tall stone wall. Guess what happened? As soon as the molten iron hit the stone wall, it would explode creating sparks similar to that of fireworks. In fact, the name of this annual Chinese festival of lights is also derived from this act, as the shower of molten iron sparks resemble a flowery tree canopy, hence the name Da Shuhua meaning “beating the flower trees.”
Today, the festival still continues in and around Nuanquan and even marks the start of the famous Dragon Boat Festival. It’s usually a three-day festival culminating on the 15th of the first lunar month, which is why it is also often called the Lantern Festival.
What’s more fascinating is that, to make the festival more vibrant, modern-day blacksmiths use copper and aluminium in order to generate green and white sparks beside the red ones created by iron. Interestingly, this Chinese festival of lights is part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage as deemed by UNESCO.
Traditions surrounding Da Shuhua
Da Shuhua, the Chinese fiery spectacle kickstarts with cultural performances including dragon lantern dance, lion dance and land boat dance by folk artists and ends with the artists kneeling in front of the furnace (that melts the metals before they create sparks), praying for good luck, good health, prosperity and happiness. As part of the Lantern Festival tradition, people also often hang red lanterns outside their homes and eat a Chinese dessert called yuanxiao.