Once upon a time there was a beast. Its name was "Nian". On the first day of the first lunar month, Nian would go to the villages to devour people and their animals. People were scared and didn't know how to prevent Nian's invasions, so they got together on the night before Nian came and had a great feast because they didn't know if they would be alive the next day. One year, an old man showed up and told the villagers to prepare firecrackers, gongs, drums, and pots, and put red papers on their doors and windows. When Nian came, they lighted firecrackers and beat their drums and gongs aggressively to make a lot of noise. Nian was frightened away by the noise and red papers. The next day, people came to visit their friends and relatives and said, "Kong-xi", to congratulate each other for surviving. Since then, it became a tradition for people to light firecrackers and put up red papers to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Now, red means auspicious and good luck, and the noise will scare evil away and ward off bad luck |