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Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the oldest traditional festival in China, but a few people concern the origin and story behind the holiday. Many existing customs and activities of the festival actually can be traced back to a popular story of the Monster Nian, which helps to explain why and how the festival is celebrated. The origin of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back to about 3,500 years ago. Chinese New Year has evolved over a long period of time and its customs have undergone a long development process. A Legend of the Origin of Chinese New Year. Like all traditional festivals in China, Chinese New Year is steeped with stories and myths. Furthermore, the traditions born from this myth serve as a reminder of hope and the promise of new beginnings as families gather to celebrate the Lunar New Year. VII. Nian in Contemporary Celebrations. Today, the story of Nian continues to resonate in Chinese New Year festivities around the world. Chinese creation myths fundamentally differ from monotheistic traditions with one authorized version, such as the Judeo-Christian Genesis creation narrative: Chinese classics record numerous and contradictory origin myths. Traditionally, the world was created on Chinese New Year and the animals, people, and many deities were created during its Chinese New Year's Day is called Guo Nian (过年) in Chinese, which can mean 'celebrate (a new) year' or 'overcome Nian'. The character 年 (Nián) could mean a 'year' or 'the monster Nian'. In ancient times, there was a monster named Nian (年, or Nianshou 年兽) with a long head and sharp horns. It dwelled deep in the sea all year round and The date of Chinese New Year changes each year because it's based on the lunar calendar. While the western Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the date of Chinese New Year is determined according to the moon’s orbit around the Earth. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. By the Song dynasty (960 -1279 AD), Taofu was gradually replaced by two pieces of red paper and evolved into today's Chinese New Year couplets. Having evolved from the ancient custom of defeating evil spirits, nowadays Taofu serves as a lucky decoration and expresses people's best wishes for the coming new year. The words Yuandan and Xinnian were created to mark the turn between two years. Towards Tang and Song Dynasties, the celebration was given a name Yuanri. In the flourishing Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), the function of Chinese New Year had shifted from worshiping and praying to social entertainment. People got public holidays for staying with From then on, on the last day of the year, people put up red couplets, hung up red lanterns, set off firecrackers, kept the lights on and stayed up late to keep safe from Nian. As time passed, this custom spread to almost every corner of China and thus developed into one of the most important festivals of Chinese people, the Lunar New Year`s Eve. Like all traditional Chinese festivals, the origins of Chinese New Year are steeped in stories and myths. One of the most popular, which emerged during the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC), is about the mythical beast ‘Nian’ (which translates to ‘year’), who terrorised local people by eating livestock, crops and even humans on the eve of Celebrate Together: Chinese Services & Rock Kidz Classes. Our Chinese services, along with our children's classes for kids aged 12 and below, are also happening. Bring the whole family along and make this Chinese New Year celebration an unforgettable and blessed experience for everyone! 1. Introduction to the Year of the Snake. The Chinese Zodiac, a twelve-year cycle where each year is represented by an animal, holds significant cultural importance in Chinese society. Each animal embodies unique traits and characteristics that influence the personality and fortunes of those born in its year. Chinese creation myths fundamentally differ from monotheistic traditions with one authorized version, such as the Judeo-Christian Genesis creation myth: Chinese classics record numerous and contradictory origin myths. Traditionally, the world was created on Chinese New Year and the animals, people, and many deities were created during its 15 days. The following story reveals legendary reasons, and some of the characteristics of the 12 animals. The story is widespread (and widely varying) among Chinese. Though it is made up, it might be interesting for you to tell your children and friends. The Heavenly Gate Race Story - Reasons for Zodiac Rankings. Long, long ago, there was no Chinese Rather than following the western Gregorian Calendar with 365-day years, the Chinese New Year follows a lunar calendar based the moon's 12 phases. Each phase cycle spans approximately 29 days with II. Historical Context of Chinese New Year. The origins of Chinese New Year can be traced back over 4,000 years to the Shang Dynasty, where it was celebrated as a time to honor deities and ancestors. Initially, the festival was closely linked to agricultural cycles, marking the end of winter and the beginning of the farming season. Chinese New Year is steeped in history, much of which intertwines with the story of Nian, a fearsome beast whose name coincidentally shares the same word for “year” in Chinese. As legend has it, Nian would terrorize villagers annually until a wise old man suggested using loud noises, firecrackers, and the color red to scare the monster away. Pangu’s story has influenced several festivals, notably the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). This festival marks the beginning of a new year and is associated with renewal and rebirth. The symbolism of Pangu’s creation reflects the themes of growth, new beginnings, and the importance of family reunions during this time. V. Our Chinese Creation Story PowerPoint is an engaging resource to use when telling the Chinese legend of how the world was created. Each slide is covered with luscious illustrations and clear, simple text, suitable for sharing with Early level learners. Learn about the most important holiday of the year with this list of Chinese New Year books. I’ve included our not-so-traditional favorite stories that I hope your children will love too! These books are published in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and bilingual English, plus one adorable story in English.
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