According to one legend, the beast Nian had a very big mouth that could swallow a great many people all at once. Naturally, everyone was scared. One day, an old man came along and offered to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, “I heard that you are very capable, but can you swallow other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by means of your worthy opponents?” Taking the old man’s challenge, Nian swallowed many of the predators on earth, which were also a nuisance to people and their domestic animals from time to time.

As it turns out the old man was a god, and after subduing Nian, he and the beast disappeared. Now that Nian was gone and the other predators scared into forests, people began to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left, he told people to put up red paper decorations (as red was the color Nian feared most) on their windows and doors at every year’s end to scare away Nian, in case it sneaked back again.

From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian was carried on from generation to generation. The term “Guo Nian”, which may have meant “Survive the Nian” today means “Celebrate the New Year” (“guo” in Chinese has the dual meaning of “pass-over” and “observe”). The custom of putting up red paper and firing firecrackers–to scare away Nian, should it run loose–is still around, but no longer hold the same meaning. For many people today, red sets the joyous mood while the popping of firecrackers adds to the excitement of the New Year.
[Posted at: The Nian Creature]