Legend of Nian-Chen

LEGEND OF

NIAN MONSTER

年 兽

年獸 According to legend, in ancient China, there was a monster called “Nian” with long antennae and extremely ferocious.

“Nian” lives on the bottom of the sea for many years, and climbs ashore every New Year’s Eve, devouring livestock and hurting human life. Therefore, on New Year’s Eve, people in the villages help the elderly to flee to the mountains with young children to avoid the harm of “Nian” beast.

On New Year’s Eve in a year, the people of Taohua Village were helping the old to take refuge with the children when a begging old man came from outside the village. Some folks closed the windows and locked the doors, some packed their bags, some drove the sheep, and everyone yelled at the horses in a hurry and panic. At this time, nobody cared about the begging old man. Only an old lady at the east of the village

gave the old man some food and advised him to go up the mountain to avoid the “Nian” beast.

The old man sneered: “If you let me stay at your home for one night, I will take the “Nian” beast away.” The old woman took a closer look and saw that he looked extraordinary. She continued to persuade, but the old man only smiled. The old lady had no choice but to leave home and go to the mountain to take refuge.

At midnight, the “Nian” beast broke into the village. It found that the atmosphere in the village was different from previous years: the old woman’s house at the east of the village, the door was covered with red paper, and the house was brightly lit.

The “Nian” beast shuddered and screamed strangely. “Nian” glared at the old lady’s house for a moment, then screamed and rushed over. As he approached the door, a sudden “bang” sound was heard in the courtyard, and “Nian” shuddered, and he dared not move forward.

It turned out that “NIAN” was most afraid of red, fire and explosion. At this time, the old lady’s home opened widely, and an old man in a red robe laughing in the courtyard.

“ N i a n ” was frightened and fled.

Since then, every year on New Year’s Eve, every family posted red couplets and set off firecrackers; households had bright candles. Early in the early morning of the first day, we

will go to relatives’ and friends’ houses to greet. This custom has spread more and more widely and has become the most solemn traditional festival of Chinese folk.

ILLUSTRATED, EDITED, DESIGNED

BY POLARIS.G

新春快乐， 万事如意， 恭喜发财！