In Chinese mythology, 年獸 (Nian) is a monster that lives under the sea because it's afraid of heat. Around Chinese New Year, 年獸 comes out of its hiding place to eat children. The legend began in a Chinese village (it may have been Shanghai) at the end of a year a very long time ago. Before 年獸 appeared, a strange old man came to the village to warn everyone about the monster and to teach them how to scare him away. He told them to hang their red clothes on the clothesline and red paper scrolls around their doorways. When 年獸 came out, the villagers hid in their houses. They also did as the old man had instructed, and made loud noises, throwing firecrackers out of their houses, etc., to scare the monster away. All of these things scared 年獸, and it fled back to the sea. To save themselves from the monster in future years, the villagers started staying up all night, wearing red clothes, and lighting off firecrackers. Years went by, and 年獸 never came again, but these traditions were passed down through the generations in Chinese culture. One phrase used in celebrating Chinese New Year means, "the passing of the beast."
(Do you see the similarities with Passover? Sooo very interesting.)
2 comments:
Yes! While I was reading, I was thinking, "Wow, this is a lot like passover!" How interesting
How interesting. Thanks for sharing!
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