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The history of the Chinese New Year is too old to be traced back to its origin. Now, popularly referred to as the Spring Festival, there are several theories about how it began. The Beginning of Spring is one, and the first, of twenty-four expressions regarding the changing of the seasons in
nature.
One thing that is agreed upon regarding the history of the Chinese New Year is that “Nian” means “year” in Chinese, and it was
named after the beast who attacked people on the night before the new year began on the Chinese calendar. It had a very large mouth and was able to swallow many people at once. An old man attempted to subdue the beast, and he ended up riding away on the back of Nian the monster. Before he left, he told people to decorate their windows with red paper creations, because red was the color most feared by the beast. The old man turned out to be an immortal god, and this conquest has been observed over the generations.
The practice of placing red paper decorations in windows to scare away the Nian still exists today, along with blasting fireworks, just in case the monster runs loose once again.
”Guo Nian” means “Survive the Nian.” But today it is interpreted as “Celebrate the Year,” as “guo” has both the meaning of “observe” as well as “pass over.”
Most people today have forgotten the meaning and history behind the Chinese New Year. But they continue their traditions of a colorful, mostly red, celebration of light
and sound to add excitement to the beginning of the New Year.
Share
the Chinese New Year
History with your
kids as a bedtime
story.
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