Chinese Culture >> Chinese Society Traditions >> Legend of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year Legend
by: Jason Huang
An ancient Chinese legend tells of a man-eating predatory beast called Nian,
extremely fierce, with a long head and sharp horn. Nian dwelled deep in the sea
the whole year long, but on every Chinese New
Year eve it would climb onto the shore to devour livestock and harm humans
in a near-by village. Therefore, every Chinese New Year's Eve, all the villagers
would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from Nian.
One Chinese New Year's Eve a grey haired man appeared in the village. He asked
permission to stay for the night and assured everyone that he would chase away
the beast. No one believed him. In addition, the old man steadfastly refused to
go to the mountains to hide. Seeing that he could not be persuaded, the
villagers departed without him.
When the beast arrived at the village to wreck havoc as usual, it was met with a
sudden burst of exploding firecrackers. Startled by the noise, the flashes of
light, and red banners flying about, it hastily turned and fled!
The following day, as the people returned from the mountains, they found the
village intact and safe. The old man had left, but they found the remains of the
three precious items he had used to chase the beast Nian away. They all agreed
that the old man must be a deity who had come to help free them of the beast.
From then on, every Chinese New Year's Eve, families would hang red banners, set
off fire crackers, and light their lamps the whole night through, awaiting the
Chinese New Year. The custom spread far and wide and became a grand traditional
celebration of the "Passing of Nian" ("Nian" in Chinese means "year").
So celebrating the Chinese New Year should be called "passing of Nian" or "Guo
Nian" in Chinese. However the term was gradually changed to "Spring Festival"
after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power in 1949. Gradually people
have forgotten the legend behind these Chinese
New Year traditions. It is merely one small example of how the CCP has
robbed the Chinese people of their rich traditional culture.
New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) is working hard to reverse this loss. In its
2006 Chinese New Year Global Gala it actually put the ancient story of the Nian
monster on stage. NTDTV's Chinese New Year shows are a unique opportunity to
experience the magic of traditional Chinese culture. Marvelous music, ancient
instruments, magnificent backdrops, splendid costumes, and first class
performers--altogether make for outstanding entertainment reflecting China's
5,000 years of civilization and traditional culture--a culture rich in myths and
legends worth cherishing and preserving.
Between January and March the 2007 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular will be
touring Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and major cities in Canada, Europe
and Asia. http://shows.ntdtv.com.
About the Author:
Jason Huang writes on cultures and traditions. For more info about NTDTV's
Chinese New Year Spectacular, please visit:
http://shows.ntdtv.com http://www.ntdtv.com