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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 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 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 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 In Chinese culture, the Nian represents more than just a beast; it symbolizes the challenges and fears that one must confront. The very essence of the Nian embodies the cyclical nature of life and the importance of overcoming adversity. The Nian’s Role in Chinese New Year Traditions. The association of the Nian with the Lunar New Year is Chinese New Year started many thousands of years ago. It is still celebrated today. It is a time for enjoying family and friends, for remembering ancestors, for feasting, and for giving gifts of "red envelopes" of lucky money. There are many ancient customs and stories that surround Chinese New Year. This is one of our favorites: Once upon a 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. Nian is a creature from Chinese mythology that is often associated with the Lunar New Year. According to legend, this beast lived under the sea or in the mountains and would come out during the New Year’s Eve to hunt people and livestock. However, the villagers eventually discovered that Nian was afraid of loud noises, It is celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Of the many stories and legends the best known is the “Legend of Nian(年兽)”: There was a monster in ancient times with the body of a bull and the head of lion. It was a ferocious animal that lived in the mountains and hunted for a living. The holiday is sometimes called the Lunar New Year because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon. Since the mid-1990s people in China have been given seven consecutive days off work during the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the 14th century BC, when the Shang dynasty ruled. One story says that a monster named Nian ("Year") attacked villagers at the start of every year The Chinese New Year is an important time to 拜年 (bàinián, to pay a new year call), so it is common practice to visit relatives and exchange auspicious greetings and Chinese gifts, including the ever-popular lucky red envelopes filled with Chinese currency. Devoted Buddhist and Daoist practitioners also often visit local temples to welcome The tale of the nian monster is inseparable from the Chinese New Year. This is because the monster is literally known as nian, which means year. New Year’s Day is referred to as Guo Nian, which means celebrating a new year to overcome Nian. The Monster Nian is also associated with the Chinese New Year since people believe that this monster 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. What was the Chinese New Year monster called? Nian was the monster who had the relation with Chinese New Year. It looked like lion and had a horn. It was a very fierce monster in Chinese legend. In common time, Nian was in under sea. It will go ashore each year to eat people. But Nian was afraid of the color red, light and noise. 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. Do you know Why Chinese New Year is Celebrated?Long long ago, there was a ferocious monster named "Nian" with sharp teeth and a horn. It lived deep down in t chinese new year story nian. The Chinese New Year is steeped in legends, but there is one centuries-old legend that best explains the origin of the festival. According to the legend, the Chinese people would always plan to celebrate the Spring festival, but there was a mythical monster called Nian that would come to terrorize the villagers. The In this lesson, the students study the differences between eastern and western dragons and discover why the eastern dragons are associated with the Chinese New Year. They learn about the dragon dancers and lion dancers in the New Years parade and discover that firecrackers are set off to drive off evil spirits, particularly one called Nian.
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