Saturday, July 4, 2009

Senko-Hanabi - Sparkler


There are quite a few different types of sparklers. The type most commonly seen in the United States is made with wire coated with something that slowly burns down. There is a type I used to play with when I was smaller, I don't know what their real name is but they were called Chinese sparklers. They had a wooden stick and were made mostly from paper and card board and would sparkle in multi-colors. I have looked for this type recently but have not found any place that has them.

In Japan, the most common firework is a sparkler called Senko-hanabi (incense fire flower). It is not made of either wood or wire, instead it is made from either a twisted paper or string and paper. It just dangles from your hand, you have to be careful to hold it in the correct place to avoid being burned. The above poor quality picture has Akane from the Ranma manga playing with one of these.

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