New Year's tradition: Oliebollen and fireworks (2)
Yesterday we were talking about oliebollen today we take a closer look at the fireworks tradition. Quite a controversial subject because there are people who love it but others hate it (especially the banging).
Although oliebollen are difficult to find in Thailand, it is with fireworks quite different, there are regular large fireworks shows to admire, such as on the beach at Pattaya. The New Year in Bangkok is usually also accompanied by immense fireworks, but this year festivities have been canceled due to the state of health of the princess. It is not clear whether there will be fireworks. The idea behind the explosions is that fireworks should drive away the evil spirits for the new year. In Thailand, firecrackers are also used during a cremation, again to drive away evil spirits.
Although you would think that the Chinese were the first to use fireworks, that is not correct. The first fireworks were most likely made by the Bengalis (inhabitants of present-day Bangladesh). The theory about the origin of fireworks has to do with salt. The main ingredient of fireworks, namely saltpeter (potassium nitrate) was used by the Bengalis as salt. The idea is that some spilled saltpeter once ended up in the flame during cooking, it started to crackle considerably and that is how its effect was discovered.
The invention of gunpowder in the thirteenth century led to more and more experimentation with fireworks. Gunpowder consists of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur and causes the explosions that we now mainly know in fireworks.
Europe
In the Low Countries, fireworks have only been known since the Middle Ages. At that time it was mainly used in warfare: bombs full of gunpowder that shot down castle walls and flares that were supposed to terrify the enemy. 'Fireworks maker' was an important and mysterious profession at the time. Incidentally, there was only a bit of messing around and a lot of fireworks makers themselves flew into the air with gunpowder and all! About 200 years ago, chemistry became a real science and then the making of fireworks advanced by leaps and bounds.
Germanic tradition
In the 18th century the turn of the year was celebrated, but the customs were quite different from today. In any case, a lot of noise was made. That was necessary to chase away the evil spirits that hovered in the air between Christmas and New Year, according to the Germanic tradition. The louder the noise, the better. That's why there was a lot of firearms fired into the air. Later this tradition was replaced by the setting off of fireworks.
In the Netherlands, fireworks became popular around 1965. Only then did firecrackers, firecrackers, flares and screaming kitchen maids become popular. At that time, firing off cannon blows was more something for young people who wanted to act tough. Many Dutch people at that time regarded it as show-off and found the oliebollen and apple turnovers much more interesting.
Nongnut Moijanghan / Shutterstock.com
Carbid shooting popular in the Netherlands and Belgium
Anyone who lives in the countryside knows it: carbide shooting. It is also known in Belgium and there it is called carburettor shooting. It usually takes place on or around New Year's Eve, although in the south of the Netherlands it is traditionally also done on the evening of the banns. In Belgium, there has been a revival of carburetion shooting on New Year's Eve, and also at weddings, for several years now.
Carbid is put in a milk can and wetted. The milk can is closed with a lid or football. The combination of carbide and water creates ethyne, an explosive gas. There is a small hole in the bottom of the milk churn, where the gas is lit and a huge heavy thump follows. The sound can even amount to 110 dB and can be heard in the wide area.
The origin of this custom probably dates back to the time of the Germans with their juel festivals, although of course no carbide was available at that time. Carbid was used for bicycle lighting before World War II. It was also – when there were no bottles with acetylene gas available – used by most village blacksmiths for welding. So it was easy to come by. Milk cans were also widely available in the countryside.
In 2014, the Carbid Shooting was placed on the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Netherlands as the fiftieth tradition.
Barnaby Chambers / Shutterstock.co
Chinese people
The Chinese did take care of the distribution of fireworks, after all they were major consumers. The production of fireworks is said to have started at the time of the Tang dynasty. Around the beginning of our era, the Chinese used fireworks at religious events to drive away evil spirits. The ritual of setting off fireworks is therefore an integral part of Chinese culture. China is still the main producer of fireworks.
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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On one of my trips through the former Yugoslavia, the muffler was damaged by the bad road.
In a village the local blacksmith repaired it by welding with carbide! (1965)
I was born in a small village in the Gelderse Achterhoek, and in the fifties of the last century we, as village boys, went to the local contractor who gave us some carbide for a penny.
An old paint can of 1 liter capacity, hole in the bottom with an old nail, carbide in it, some spit, can under the foot, wait a moment, match at the hole, and a bang ……. the lid shot several meters down the street. There were many of us, and shouting and cheering went on for an afternoon.
With the disappearance of the carbide, this tradition also died.
Frits, how many times have you burned your thumb and/or finger because there was no bang but a stem flame (small) coming out of the hole. I used matches several times, later I used a torch made from a rolled up newspaper.
I was born in Drenthe and as a child of about 6 years old, I was already walking around with a carbide canister, usually a paint can, after my mother had taught me how to handle it.
Correction: I walked………
I'm not a firecracker fan anymore, never really have been. Let others spend money on it and run the risks. And I don't like all that noise and smoke pollution either. The colors are beautiful.
Years ago I was in Edinburgh, where the annual culture festival ends in August with a firework display shot from the castle on a hill in the centre. Beautiful to see from the park in the valley, where thousands of people had gathered to enjoy it. However, the wind was wrong, from the castle straight to the park. Within fifteen minutes everyone ran away, the airways choked by the enormous smoke development, the clothes, air, hair and skin polluted by the half-burned remains of packaging. The show lasted an hour, as planned, the audience had fled to safer places, away from the nuisance.
People don't realize how bad the lighting of fireworks is for the environment. Added to this the number of (in)guilty victims. It is no longer necessary for me.
It should still be possible with the state of the art to create a light show with the same effect. That the thrill of taking the risk of injuring or killing yourself and others disappears, so what. Driving too fast with a means of transport also gives such a kick, which carries hefty penalties.
Very interesting piece about carbide shooting and especially for the do-it-yourselfer in Thailand.
Has anyone tried this here in Thailand?
It seems to me that success with the local population is guaranteed.
https://youtu.be/Zad8RuKCl0s
Not harmless, was there as a spectator with love, ... but at a safe distance of course!
Enjoy watching, and a healthy 2020 to all on the blog and beyond, from a sunny Isaan.
Fireworks are also a tradition in Suriname. We also had something like carbide shooting, but with bambie and methylated spirits. A thick bamboo of three segments from which two partitions have been removed and the last one left intact. At the very back, just like a real gun, a hole was drilled. and you had a gun. This was placed at an angle on a gun carriage and methylated spirits were poured into it. Blowing into the hole and then holding a flaming torch or similar near the hole and the methylated spirits vapor engulfed with a bang. First a soft bang. but as the temp. in the tube, the bangs got louder and louder.
After the 60s, this fell into disuse.
Came to live in The Hague with my parents as a boy of 8 years old, that was in 1958
We came from a then small village of Schagen.
My father had bought a house in Spoorwijk Guido Gezellestraat.
I grew up on that too, we did carbide shooting as I got older, the buses became for it
carbide also bigger, milk churn the lid is tied with a steel cable to the churn.
Now readers may wonder where the carbide came from.
You used to have a factory just over the bridge coming from the Oudemanstraat Leegwaterplein Van Verhijst
there she welded together radiators for heating.
Carbid gas was used for that and that's where our carbide came from