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kottke.org posts about fireworks

Molten Iron Fireworks

In the small Chinese village of Nuanquan, they make fireworks displays by throwing molten iron against the wall, which causes it to explode in a shower of sparks.

For the past 30 years, Wang De has been practicing the ancient art of Da Shuhua, a 500-year-old tradition that first began with blacksmiths in the Nuanquan village of China. Wanting a way to celebrate Chinese New Year, but without the means to afford traditional fireworks, these blacksmiths devised a new form of entertainment. By tossing molten iron against the walls, they created beautiful showers of sparks, beginning a practice that would soon become a part of their cultural heritage. Now, it’s a special part of Nuanquan’s legacy as there’s no place else on Earth to witness the fiery spectacle.

This would be something to see in person โ€” thousands of tiny sparks flying around at great speeds is exactly the sort of thing that compressed online video doesn’t depict that well.


Drone footage of New Year’s fireworks over Lima, Peru

Apparently they set off fireworks everywhere in Lima, Peru when the New Year hits. And Jeff Cremer was there with his drone to capture the craziness. Wow. (via colossal)


500 fireworks at once

If watching this video makes you feel like Beavis and Butthead, you are not alone.

(Via The Daily What)


Ass bottle rocket

This may be the funniest YouTube video of all time. Keywords: fireworks, no pants, NSFW, and “Rectum? It nearly killed ‘em!”

Update: Of course YouTube pulled the video, but here’s an alternate link. (thx, ryan)


Fire at a fireworks factory = lots of

Fire at a fireworks factory = lots of explosions. I went to a fireworks display when I was a kid and about 5 minutes in, the structure they were launching them out of caught on fire and the rest of the display went off in the space of 2-3 minutes. Best fireworks I’ve ever seen…

Update: Wikipedia has more on this explosion, which occurred in The Netherlands in 2000. (thx to the dozens who sent this in)