Gifu Fireworks (hanabi)

Every year during the hot summer nights of  the last Saturday in July and first Saturday in August, Gifu City in central Japan comes alive to the sight and sound of  two nights of spectacular fireworks.

The event has for the last  44 years been sponsored by two newspapers, one local, Gifu Newspapers and one regional, Chunichi Newspapers. Although different in sponsorship and management, both nights are similar in both scale and duration of the fireworks and numbers of people attending to view them.

Both nights draw tens of thousands of people who make their way to the Nagara River where the events are held.  Many people, especially younger people wear a summer kimono called a yukata.

Streets leading to the fireworks are also crowded with street vendors selling traditional Japanese food like Yakisoba, Yakitori, Okonomiyaki, and Takoyaki

The actual firworks kick off around 7pm which is dusk at this time of the year and finish around 8:45pm. During this time there is a continual kaleidoscope of colour and sound.

It’s a great opportunity for friends and family to gather and enjoy a BBQ or social gathering, eating and drinking whilst watching the fireworks.

Fireworks were originally invented by the Chinese in the 12th century and were a by- product of gun powder which was also invented by the chinese. They were originally used  to frighten away evil spirits with their loud sound and also to pray for prosperity and happiness. Two traditional chinese festivals where fireworks evolved and are still used today are the Chinese new year and mid autumn “Moon Festival”.

Over time they evolved into an independent profession of art and science and are the cornerstone of large celebrations all over the world. China is the worlds largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks.

Fireworks are generally classified into either self propolsion (skyrocket) or arial shell (fired into the air by mortar). Arial shells are generally a tube made from either  paper or pasteboard and filled with a combustible material like pyrotechnic stars. When tubes are joined and launched together or in quick succession, a great variety of sparkling shapes in a  kaleidoscope of colours and sound can be made.

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