Magic with fireworks
Written by shabait Administrator
Friday, 17 January 2014 13:01
It is definitely one of the most beautiful and exiting experience that at its big sounds and colors
in the silence and darkness of night; makes our hearts pound in massive emotions as we fix our
eyes in the immensity of its magic up in the sky. The sky lively covered by so many vibrant
hues, starbursts, an assortment of shapes, rotating circles, stars, 3D globes and showers of
light along with ribbons of smoke, making us shower with happiness and awestruck thrill… Fire
works!!!
A paper or pasteboard tube or casing filled with the combustible material, often pyrotechnic
stars or a paper tube filled with of either black powder (also known as gunpowder) or flash
powder with a fuse to light the powder, containing charcoal, sulfur and potassium nitrate; it
might also a composition of aluminum… and there it goes the awesome bright explosion.
This crazy chemical mixture, though we now-a-days have them everywhere they go way back in
time: back to the old Chinese era. The earliest documentation of fireworks dates back to 7th
century China, where they were invented. The fireworks were used to accompany many
festivities; they were also believed to have some real mighty powers of chasing bad and
demonic spirits. They have been part of the culture of China though it eventually spread to other
cultures and societies later on and sadly enough was also used as war material. The art and
science of firework making was developed into an independent profession, matter of fact in
China: the “pyrotechnicians” were respected for their knowledge of complex techniques in
mounting firework displays.
It is told in the ancient Chinese history books that during the Song Dynasty (960–1279), many of
the common people could purchase various kinds of fireworks from market vendors and grand
displays of fireworks were also known to be held. In 1110, a large fireworks display in a martial
demonstration was held to entertain Emperor Huizong of Song, the royal family and his court.
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Magic with fireworks
Written by shabait Administrator
Friday, 17 January 2014 13:01
There is also a record from 1264 states that a rocket-propelled firework went off near the
Empress Dowager Gong Sheng and startled her during a feast held in her honor by her son
Emperor Lizong of Song (r. 1224–1264). And later on the rocket propulsion gained quite of fame
in the warfare. In 1240 the Arabs got hold of knowledge of “guitin powder” a Syrian named
Hasan al-Rammah wrote documents on fire rockets, fireworks, and other incendiaries, using
terms that suggested he learned Chinese sources, he even used a refered to this big grat
colorful explosions as "Chinese flowers”.
In Europe: Chinese fireworks began to gain popularity around the mid-17th century. Lev
Izmailov, ambassador of Peter the Great, once reported from China: "They make such fireworks
that no one in Europe has ever seen. In 1758, the Jesuit missionary Pierre Nicolas le
Chérond'Incarville, living in Beijing, wrote about the methods and composition on how to make
many types of Chinese fireworks to the Paris Academy of Sciences, which revealed and
published the account five years later. His writings would be translated in 1765, resulting in the
popularization of fireworks and further attempts to uncover the secrets of Chinese fireworks.
Once in Europe, the black powder was used for military purposes, first in rockets, then in
canons and guns. Italians were the first Europeans who used the black powder to manufacture
fireworks. Germany was the other European country to emerge as a fireworks leader along with
Italy in the 18th century. Generally Marco Polo is credited with bringing the gunpowder back to
Europe in the 13th century, although some accounts credit the Crusaders with bringing the
black powder to Europe as they returned from their journeys.
The English were also fascinated with fireworks. Fireworks became very popular in Great Britain
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. William Shakespeare mentions fireworks in his works and
fireworks were so much enjoyed by the Queen herself that she created the position of "Fire
Master of England." A French nobleman: Amédée-François Frézier published his revised work
Traité des feuxd'artice pour le spectacle (Treatise on Fireworks) in 1747 covering the
recreational and ceremonial uses of fireworks, rather than their military uses. As time went on
fire works gained the attention of the world and has been manufactured and developed to be
more suitable and less harmful so to match our taste. In fact many fireworks are made in much
the same way today as they were hundreds of years ago. However, some modifications have
been made. Modern fireworks may include designer colors, like salmon, pink, and aqua, that
weren't available in the past. In 2004, Disneyland in California starting launching fireworks using
compressed air rather than gunpowder. Electronic timers were used to explode the shells. That
was the first time the launch system was used commercially, allowing for increased accuracy in
timing (so shows could be put to music) and reducing smoke and fumes from big displays.
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Magic with fireworks
Written by shabait Administrator
Friday, 17 January 2014 13:01
Furthermore, to make the revelry more interesting and have our spectacle more tasteful and
spiced up: music for the Royal Fireworks was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 to
celebrate the peace Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle but it doesn’t matter cause we still use it!
Doesn’t matter if one is old or young, am sure we always do a countdown to the festive days so
we can watch the sky light up in big colorful flare-up blast. As a matter of fact many countries
have been famous in putting up amazing fireworks manifestation: like the spectacle of fire works
in Sydney but the grand 2014’s New Year celebrations all across Dubai did not fail to impress
humdreds if not thousands of crowds: Dubai welcomed 2014 with magnificent fireworks display
around the Palm Jumeirah’s crescent and the rest of the city not to overlook BurjKhalifa as the
iconic tower lit up in a brilliant show of colors and designs with people watching from all over the
world coming together to celebrate the new year. The attempt to break the world record was
officially recognized at a ceremony in Atlantis, The Palm – a few minutes after the show was
complete.
It surely did wowed so many of us; they are indeed the best most outstanding and expected
thing about festivals, new year celebrations or most of the big event, are the fireworks!! I've
never met a person that didn't like it, or that wouldn't get touched by its delightful enchantment.
Nobody would deny the splendor of these bangs. Truly, it is magic... thank God for the Chinese!
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