Chinese Mythology · Mythical Creature
年 · nián
The beast whose fear of red and firecrackers gave us Chinese New Year customs.
年
Once a year, on New Year's Eve, a beast called Nian (as the New Year monster, 年兽 niánshòu) came out of the sea or mountains to devour livestock, crops, and people. Villagers discovered it feared three things — the color red, bright fire, and loud noise — so they hung red banners, lit lanterns, and set off firecrackers to drive it away.
This legend is the folk origin of the New Year's red decorations, firecrackers, and red envelopes; folk etymology even reads the word for celebrating the year, guònián (过年), as "passing/overcoming the Nian."
Treat it as "the traditional legend" rather than ancient scripture: Nian's earliest written records as a monster date only to the early 20th century.
The explanatory story behind the most-searched Chinese holiday in the West, and a fixture of children's books and festival content.
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