Ancient people set off firecrackers for the earliest what

The ancients believed that the ear-piercing sound of firecrackers could play a role in driving away ghosts and evil spirits. In short, firecrackers, whether to drive away evil spirits or to scare monsters, were set off for the sake of peace and good fortune.

For example, Dongfang Shuo, a famous Western Han Dynasty warrior, said in his "Divine Scripture" that firecrackers can frighten evil spirits. Another theory is that the sound of firecrackers can scare away the monster "Nian", which likes to come out to eat people on the night of the 30th.

In ancient times, the Chinese New Year also firecrackers, but then the firecrackers are not made of gunpowder, but the "bamboo" into the fire, so that the natural sound of cracking firecrackers.

Since the invention of gunpowder by Taoist priests in the Tang Dynasty, the emergence of firecrackers has gradually replaced the tradition of burning bamboo to scare ghosts and monsters. People grew to believe that firecrackers were more effective when they were louder and more powerful.

Expanded Information

The main ingredient of firecrackers is black powder, which contains sulfur, charcoal powder, potassium nitrate, and in some cases potassium chlorate. The production of flash thunder, electric light cannon, fireworks cannon, color fireworks, but also add magnesium powder, iron powder, aluminum powder, antimony powder and inorganic salts.

When fireworks ignited, charcoal powder, sulfur powder, metal powder, etc. in the role of oxidizing agent, rapid combustion, producing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide and other gases and metal oxides and dust, and at the same time produce a large amount of light and heat caused by firecracker explosion.

Debris, soot and harmful gases along with the sound and fire, flying around, so that the burning site is filled with smoke, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides and other serious air pollution. These gases have an irritating effect on the human respiratory tract and eyes.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Firecrackers