THE ORIGIN OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR AND LEGEND OF NIAN

The legendary Nian

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called Nian, who had the body of a bull and the head of a lion.  It was said to be a ferocious animal that lived in the mountains and hunted for a living.   Towards the end of Winter when there was nothing to eat, Nian would come on the first day of New Year to the villages to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people.

The villagers would live in terror over the Winter, but over time they learned that the ferocious Nian was afraid of three things: the colour red, fire, and noise.  So when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors.  They also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again.  According to legend, the Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk, and Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.

After Nian was captured, everyone had a big celebration and the ritual involved in banishing him was repeated the following year, and so the ritual was passed down from generation to generation and the custom of celebrating New Year with firecrackers, noise, and the colour red has persisted to this day. 

Celebrating an ancient custom

Many modern-day celebrations trace back to the legendary story of Nian. Windows and doors are decorated with red colour paper-cuts with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity."  Red is the predominant colour used in the New Year celebrations. It is the emblem of joy, and also symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor. On New Year’s Day people give gifts of money to friends, family, and colleagues in red paper envelopes.

It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers and to make as much noise as possible to chase off the evil spirits as encapsulated by Nian.

Other customs and traditions include honouring one’s elders, which involves visiting the oldest and most senior members of the extended families. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck.  Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Chinese New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises.  In many cities, there are performances and dances which have been in existence for thousands of years, such as the royal heaven worshipping ceremony which was performed by emperors throughout history in Beijing to pray for the peace and prosperity of the nation.

Featured Image: The legendary Nian

By April Holloway