Re: Shooting into the air…
It seems a show off to me for exhibiting how the party is wealthy to display such extravagance. In some parts it may be an indication to enemy that we possess arms.
I recently read that in old days, when a woman was going to give birth to a baby, the women of her house used to make noise by hitting bartan (pots) with other bartan in order to keep the bala (jins, etc) away from the mother and baby. So, may be in a culture firing may be used for the same purpose 