Origins

Lunar New Year’s origins go back thousands of years and there are multiple legends about it. One legend talks about a beast called Nian. Nian was a beast who lived at the bottom of the sea. On the last day of Lunar New Year, it would come out and eat humans and livestock. So, every year, the humans would flee into the mountains, so they do not die. One day an old man promised to drive Nian away. However, the villagers did not believe him, so they fled into the mountains. On the day Nian went up to the shore to eat the humans and livestock once again, it was met with bright lights and firecrackers. The man stepped forward dressed in red and Nian retreated into the water. Once the villagers came back from the mountains, their village was untouched. The old man was a celestial being and told the villagers that the secret to drive away Nian was red, bright lights, and firecrackers. From then on, the villagers would hang up bright red lanterns, keep lights on, set off firecrackers, and put-up red decorations to drive away Nian. This became a tradition that spread across China and nearby Asian countries.