Chinese New Year

The tradition of celebrating Chinese New Years is so old that no one has really been able to definitively trace its origin. Instead, the origin is based upon folklore and storytelling. It is said that the customs of celebration for the holiday started one year a long, long, long time ago when the monster Nian went about the country side eating people. After all, Nian (which is, incidentally, the Chinese word for Years) was so large he could eat several people in a single bit.

An old and wise man happened to be passing through the village and went to Nian and challenged the large monster. “I see you can eat these people, but they are in no way your worthy opponents. Can you devour other beasts of prey who may be your equal?” Nian the monster was outraged and immediately set out to prove to the old man that he was a great monster to be feared by everyone including the other beasts of prey. The old man, who was really an immortal god, was satisfied with Nian’s abilities and tamed him in order to ride upon his back and travel the earth. The old man, before he left on Nian’s back, warned the village people to put red paper decorations on their windows and doors each year to scare away Nian incase he snuck back to eat more villagers. Red, the old man told them, was the color monsters like Niam feared the most.

Chinese New Year lasts fifteen days and is often called Spring Festival. The festival marked the annual planting of the fields. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom in order to insure that all bad luck of the previous year is swept out the door and away from the occupants. An exchange of greetings and gifts is performed between family members and neighbors. Offerings of foods, burning incense, and other gifts are made to ancestors who have passed from this life. Firecrackers are lit to scare off evil spirits. The celebration ends with the Festival of Lanterns which including singing, dancing, and lanterns. Some areas also have a parade complete with dragons, floats and drums to scare all evil spirits and bad lucky away for yet another year. Red decorations are still placed upon almost all windows and doors to be sure that Nian, just he is feeling a little hungry, does not return for another snack.