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Spring Festival, commonly known as “Chinese New Year”, is the first day of the first lunar month. The Spring Festival is the most solemn and lively traditional festival among Chinese people, and also an important traditional festival for overseas Chinese. Do you know the origin and legendary stories of the Spring Festival?

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is the beginning of the lunar calendar. It is the most grand, lively, and important ancient traditional festival in China, and is also a unique festival for the Chinese people. It is the most concentrated manifestation of Chinese civilization. Since the Western Han Dynasty, the customs of the Spring Festival have continued to this day. Spring Festival generally refers to New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month. But in folk culture, the traditional Spring Festival refers to the period from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month to the twelfth or twenty fourth day of the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. Celebrating this festival has formed some relatively fixed customs and habits over thousands of years of historical development, many of which are still passed down to this day. During the traditional Chinese New Year holiday, the Han and most ethnic minorities in China hold various celebration activities, most of which focus on worshipping gods and Buddhas, paying homage to ancestors, demolishing the old and renovating the new, welcoming jubilees and blessings, and praying for a bountiful year. The activities are diverse and have strong ethnic characteristics. On May 20, 2006, the folk customs of the Spring Festival were approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

There is a legend about the origin of the Spring Festival. In ancient China, there was a monster called “Nian”, which had long antennae and was extremely fierce. Nian has been living deep at the bottom of the sea for years, and only climbs ashore on New Year’s Eve, swallowing livestock and causing harm to human life. Therefore, on New Year’s Eve, people from villages and villages help the elderly and children escape to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of the “Nian” beast. One New Year’s Eve, an elderly beggar came from outside the village. The villagers were in a hurry and panic, with only an old lady in the east of the village giving the old man some food and urging him to go up the mountain to avoid the “Nian” beast. The old man stroked his beard and smiled, saying, “If my grandmother allows me to stay at home all night, I will drive the” Nian “beast away.” The old lady continued to persuade, begging the old man to smile but remained silent. In the middle of the night, the “Nian” beast barged into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from previous years: at the east end of the village, there was a wife in law’s house, the door was pasted with big red paper, and the house was brightly lit with candles. The Nian beast trembled all over and let out a strange cry. As he approached the door, there was a sudden explosion sound in the courtyard, and “Nian” trembled all over and dared not move forward anymore. Originally, “Nian” was most afraid of red, flames, and explosions. At this moment, my mother-in-law’s door opened wide and I saw an old man in a red robe laughing loudly in the courtyard. Nian was shocked and ran away in embarrassment. The next day was the first day of the first lunar month, and the people who had taken refuge were very surprised to see that the village was safe and sound. At this moment, my wife suddenly realized and quickly told the villagers about the promise of begging the old man. This matter quickly spread in the surrounding villages, and people all knew the way to drive away the Nian beast. From then on, every New Year’s Eve, every family sticks red couplets and sets off firecrackers; Every household is brightly lit with candles, guarding the night and waiting for the new year. Early in the morning of the first day of junior high school, I still have to go on a family and friendship trip to say hello. This custom is spreading more and more widely, becoming the most solemn traditional festival among Chinese people.