每年正月表演的“確山鐵花”又叫打鐵花，是流傳于確山縣境內及周邊地區的民間傳統煙火，起源于北宋，鼎盛于明清，至今已有千余年的歷史。
      
    最早的確山打鐵花活動，充滿道教的色彩和行業的特征。宋代崇尚道教，確山縣境內的老樂山，曾是道教的圣地，道教廟觀遍布全縣，僅樂山一處，就有“九宮二觀一拜臺”之稱。社會上的金、銀、銅、鐵、錫五門工匠，與道士共同敬奉的是一個祖師——太上老君，所以，工匠們與道士們可謂師兄弟。“打鐵花”初源于工匠們的祭祀活動。遇到道教的重大慶典，道士們也會出錢出物，請工匠們舉辦“打鐵花”，為道教增添光彩。這無形中促進了“打鐵花”活動的開展。顯而易見，“打鐵花”的最初目的一是為了展示本行業的氣派，取悅于群眾，擴大影響，等于做一次廣告；二是討個吉利，利用“花”與“發”的諧音，取“打花打花，越打越發”之意，象征著事業發達興旺。
       
    表演起來驚心動魄打鐵花雖然好看，但表演起來卻驚心動魄，極具危險性。“打鐵花”很有講究，要在一個寬闊的場地上搭起一個丈余高的大棚，稱為“花棚”，花棚頂鋪一層新鮮的柳樹枝，樹枝上綁滿各種煙花、鞭炮等。“花棚”頂部正中豎起一丈余高的桿子，稱為“老桿”。“老桿”頂上綁上鞭炮、煙花等，稱為“設彩”。花棚旁邊立一座熔化鐵汁用的熔爐，把事先準備好的生鐵化成鐵汁待用。打鐵花時，先把鐵汁注入事先準備好的“花棒”，即一根拳頭粗細、一尺多長的新鮮柳樹棒，棒的頂端掏有直徑３厘米大小的圓形坑槽，用以盛放鐵汁。打花者一手拿著盛有鐵汁的“花棒”，一手拿著未盛鐵汁的“花棒”迅速跑至“花棚”下，用下棒猛擊上棒。十幾個“打花”者一棒接一棒，一人緊跟一人，往來于熔爐和花棚之間，棒中的鐵汁沖向“花棚”后，遇到棚頂的柳枝立刻迸散開來，鐵花又點燃了棚上的鞭炮、煙花。



 

Beating Iron Flowers

    
    Queshan Iron Flower (a kind of celebration program) played in the lunar month is also called Beating Iron Flower, which prevails in Queshan County and surrounding places. It stems from Northern Song, reaches its peak in Ming and Qing Dynasty and has experienced for over 1000 years.
        
    Beating Iron Flower origins from workers' fete activities and the earliest activity is filled with Taoism color and industrial features in Song Dynasty. The original purpose of this activity is in two aspects: show the vigour of this trade so that they can please the masses and enlarge its influence; ask for luck using the similar pronunciation of "hua" and "fa" in Chinese, which means prosperous. Even though his play show is exciting and demanding, it is truly dangerous and astonished.