2017 marks the 137th Bok Kai Festival in Marysville, honoring the water god Bok Eye of the Bok Kai Temple. The parade may date to the construction of the original temple in the 1850s. I've been to several parades, held on a Saturday, but not until today had I gone to Bomb Day, held on Sunday. On Bomb Day, which dates to the 1880s, young men compete to catch "good fortune" rings shot into the air by exploding bombs.
The general public is allowed inside the Taoist temple during the Festival. The frescoes above the entry are among the few remaining of their kind, as similar ones in China were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
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| The water god Bok Eye |
