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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. 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 Nian Year. This amazing Nian monster story spread like wildfire across China, and people started to practice this ritual, and it became one of the most important festivals of the Chinese people. Nian, by the way, means ‘year’ in Chinese Mandarin, hence the Lunar New Year or commonly known as Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year Rituals The stories date back thousands of years. Read on to learn of a few popular and interesting Chinese New Year myths. The Monster and New Year’s Eve. In ancient times, there was a monster named Nián (年). It usually lived at the bottom of the sea and would come up once a year to feast on animals and humans. New Year customs like setting off firecrackers and writing couplets on red paper were allegedly inspired by the legend of nian (VCG) Another version of the legend states that the monster was actually known as 夕 (xī), and nian was a minor god dispatched by the Kitchen God to deal with xi by using firecrackers and bands of red silk. This is The Chinese New Year Monster: A Tale of Fear and Celebration. The tale of the New Year monster weaves a fascinating narrative that is both intimidating and celebratory. It brings to life the belief that even the most fearsome creatures can be scared off by simple elements like noise, light, and color. But by and by the villagers discovered that the monster was frightened by loud noises, bright lights, and the color red. To prevent the Nian to play havoc with the land, the villagers made a fearful model of the animal out of bamboo, paper, and cloths; within two fearless men to animate the image. On New Year's eve they waited for the monster. The Chinese New Year holiday also known as Spring Festival starts on the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival which occurs on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year (which is a full moon). The old Chinese word “Nian” translates to “ripe grains.” Chinese New Year Legend Long ago in China there was a man-eating monster called Nian who for most of the time slept at the bottom of the ocean. However at the end of winter, on the last day of the lunar year, the hungry Nian would terrify everyone when he woke up to come on land to eat whatever he could find. Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, According to legend, the origin of the practice goes back to a story about a monster called Nian, who is believed to 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. A song for Chinese New Year. This traditional myth explains why people wear red and shoot off firecrackers during the New Year celebration - to scare away th 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. Join us on today's adventure! Today we will be hearing a story surrounding one of the many legends of the Lunar New Year. This holiday is celebrated in multi The Legend of Nian: The Monster Under the Bed. One of the most famous Chinese New Year legends is the story of Nian, a ferocious monster that would terrorize villages on the eve of the new year. According to the legend, Nian would devour crops, livestock, and even villagers. The Chinese character nian more usually means "year" or "new year". The earliest written sources that refer to the nian as a creature date to the early 20th century. As a result, it is unclear whether the nian creature is an authentic part of traditional folk mythology, or a part of a local oral tradition that was recorded in the early 20th Once a year, the monster would run into the local village, destroying the crops, eating the livestock and even some of the villagers! Everyone in the village was terrified of the monster. So, each New Year’s Eve, they would pack up their belongings and escape into the mountains before Nian came. Top 3 Chinese New Year Stories: Legends of Nian, Taofu, Door Gods Written by Matteo Updated Dec. 12, 2024 Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most ceremonious traditional festival in China, as well as an indispensable part of Chinese culture. The story of Nian tells of how a monster terrorises a village and eventually led to many of the Chinese New Year traditions. The legend has a central place in Chinese New Year lore and is passed down from generation to generation. One popular story related to the Spring Festival is about the nian, which was a terrifying creature that lived in the mountains.It would come out on the eve of the new year to destroy villagers
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