Chinese Traditional Festival Series: Our Spring Festival

Author: Peng Guoliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: It is said that the "Nian" was an ancient man-eating beast that gnawed its teeth and sucked blood. The ancestors were terrified upon hearing of it. Eventually, Shennong, the legendary figure, subdued it with a magical artifact, and it happened on the 30th day of the 12th lunar month. The common people then called this day "celebrating the New Year," with the character "guo" implying removal, meaning that celebrating the New Year was to remove the beast. The tradition of setting off firecrackers during the New Year, as it exists today, originally had the primal meaning of driving away the beast. This belongs to mythology. The New Year is a lively and explosive festival. Lively and explosive is the characteristic of the New Year.