Tower-burning on Mid-Autumn Festival

　　A scene in Jinjiang

Tower-burning on Mid-Autumn Festival

　　In 2011, as the principal in charge, Mr. Yan Chengli, a member of the Anping Bridge Historical and Cultural Research Association, together with a number of associations and civil society organizations in Anhai, launched a folk event that had been interrupted for more than 40 years —tower-burning. Today, apart from Anhai, other towns and villages in Jinjiang also organize such events.

　　Before burning, people will first build six towers with red bricks, which symbolize “Liu Liu Da Shun (i.e. Everything goes smoothly)”. At the beginning of the activity, the host gives an order and six torch bearers come to the brick towers and light the firewood inside with the torches. As the firewood is ignited, a burst of smoke rushes out from the top of each tower, which turns red soon. People sprinkle salt into the towers from time to time, and the flames leap higher with the fire crackling loudly.

　　It was recorded that “burning tower” event originated from a resistance at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. There was a military battalion with 3,000 soldiers stationed, ruling the soldiers in the villages including Anhai. Under the governance of Mongolia, people were oppressed by the brutal Yuan soldiers. Therefore, the local people secretly organized groups of anti-Yuan militias. They gathered on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival and built a beacon tower to raise fire as an attack signal so that the militias were prompted to revolt and killed the Yuan soldiers ultimately. In order to commemorate the anti-oppression victory achieved that day, people burn towers on Mid-Autumn Festival every year, and it has become a custom for many years.

　　中文版

晋江一景 | 中秋烧塔仔

　　2011年，以安平桥历史文化研究会会员颜呈礼先生为主要负责人，联合安海多个协会和民间社团，发起了一项中断了四十多年的民俗活动——中秋烧塔仔。如今，除了安海之外，晋江其他镇街、村居也纷纷举办此类活动。

　　烧塔仔之前，人们会先用红砖搭盖起6座塔，象征“六六大顺”。活动开始时，主持人一声令下，6名火炬手持火炬来到砖塔前，用手中的火种点燃塔下方的柴草，随着柴草被点燃，一阵烟从塔顶冲出，整个塔仔烧得通红。人们不时往塔里撒盐巴，火苗瞬间蹿得更高，发出噼里啪啦的响声。

　　关于烧塔仔的由来，据载，元末，泉南建有一元兵总营，驻扎着三千将士，管辖分驻包括安海在内的各村士兵。蒙古治下元兵残暴，欺压百姓，因此，当地百姓暗地里组织讨元队伍，相约于中秋节当夜，筑塔仔举火为号，就像烽火台一样，提示队伍同时起义，擒杀元兵。为了纪念这一天取得的反压迫胜利，人们便在每年的中秋节烧塔仔，沿袭多年成为一种习俗。