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Celebrating Lunar New Year's Eve: Family Reunions
Lunar New Year's Eve, the last day of the old year, is one of China's most
important traditional holidays. Homes are spotless in and out, doors
and windows are decorated with brand new Spring
Festival couplets, New Year's pictures, hangings, and images of the Door
God, and everyone dresses up in new holiday clothes that are decorated with
lucky patterns and auspicious colors.
3-1 Story
3-1-1 Origins and legends
Legend has it that long ago during the age of great floods, there was a
vicious monster named Nian, which means year. Whenever the thirtieth day of the
last lunar month arrived, this monster would rise up out of the sea, killing
people and wrecking havoc in their fields and gardens. The people would bar
their doors before dark and sit up all night, coming out the next day to greet
their neighbors and congratulate them on surviving. Once on the last night of
the last month, Nian suddenly burst into a small village, devouring almost all
the people who lived there. Only two families emerged unscathed. The first, a
newlywed couple, avoided harm because their celebratory red wedding clothes
resembled fire to the monster, so it did not dare to approach them. The other
family was unharmed because their children were playing outside setting off
noisy firecrackers, and the noise scared the monster away. Ever since, people
have worn red clothes, set off firecrackers, and put up red decorations on New
Year's Eve to keep the vicious monster Nian away. Later, according to the
legend, the Emperor Star deity struck Nian down with a flaming orb and bound him
to a stone column. Only then was there peace in the world. Ever since, people
stay up all night and burn incense on New Year's Eve, entreating the Emperor
Star to descend to earth and protect them.
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