In ancient China, there were various legends about the mysterious creature “Nian”, which added a strong cultural color to the traditional festival of Spring Festival. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a monster called “Nian”, which had sharp antennae and an extremely fierce temperament. This beast inhabits the deep sea all year round, but only quietly climbs to the shore on New Year’s Eve at the end of the year, devouring livestock recklessly and even harming innocent people. Therefore, as New Year’s Eve approaches, villages around the world are plunged into panic. Villagers take care of the elderly and young, fleeing to the deep mountains and forests to avoid the invasion of the “Nian” beast.
However, on a certain New Year’s Eve, Taohua Village welcomed an unusual guest – a white haired beggar holding a cane. Faced with the busy figures of the villagers due to panic, the old man appeared calm and composed. He begged for food from a kind old lady and promised to expel the “Nian” beast from the country if he could stay overnight. At first, the old lady was half believing and half doubting, but in the end, she was moved by the old man’s steadfastness and decided to let him stay.
As night falls, the “Nian” beast arrives as scheduled. However, when it stepped into Peach Blossom Village, it unexpectedly found that the atmosphere here was very different from previous years. Especially at the wife’s house in the east of the village, there is bright red paper on the door and bright lights inside the house. This sudden change made the “Nian” beast feel an unprecedented sense of unease and fear. It glared angrily at its wife’s house, preparing to launch an attack, but just then, a deafening sound of firecrackers suddenly rang out in the courtyard. The sudden loud noise made the “Nian” beast tremble all over, and it knew that its biggest fear was the red, firelight, and explosion. So, in terror, the “Nian” beast could only flee in disarray.
When the morning light shone on the ground the next day, the villagers who had returned from refuge were surprised to find that the village was safe and sound. They flocked to their wives’ homes to inquire about the reason, while the old lady excitedly recounted the miraculous deeds of the beggar. From then on, every New Year’s Eve, every household would follow the old lady’s practice: pasting red couplets, setting off firecrackers, lighting candles… These customs gradually spread and became an important part of Chinese folk celebrations of the Spring Festival.
In addition to this legendary story, there is another theory about the origin of the character “year”. In ancient Chinese character books, the character “Nian” was classified as “Hebe”, which symbolizes a beautiful vision of good weather and abundant harvests. Due to the fact that in ancient agricultural societies, crops such as rice were mostly harvested once a year, the word “year” gradually became extended to refer to the unit of time – the name of the year. This explanation not only reveals the cultural connotation behind the word “year”, but also allows us to have a deeper understanding of the close connection between the traditional festival of Spring Festival and agricultural production.
