Fireworks Proxy

Abstract

Broadcast Transcript: From the "If you can't stand the heat... get someone else to stand under the fireworks for you" file comes this story from Taiwan: For years, the men of Taidong, have marked the Lunar New Year with a ritual known as Han Dan after a god of wealth who is fond of heat. To observe this ritual, near naked men willingly allow themselves to be burned by a shower of fireworks. Traditionally, the pain was all about driving out evil spirits and changing luck for the upcoming year. However, in these more profit-centric times, it's all about the bottom line. Local merchants who wish to bring prosperity to their businesses, hire near naked men as their singe-able stand-ins. Crowds gather to watch and cheer and occasionally duck the odd flaming firecracker that misses its marks. Burn, proxy, burn! #ceas #hacker #taiwan