年兽传说：春节过年习俗的由来
On a cold Chinese New Year’s Eve long ago, villagers were preparing to flee to the mountains, as they feared a monster named Nian. Just as they were about to leave, an old man with a white beard and kind eyes arrived, walking with a stick and carrying a small bag.
Everyone was busy closing their doors and packing their things. Only an old woman at the east end of the village noticed the old man. She gave him some food and asked him to run away from the monster. But the old man smiled and said, “If you let me stay in your house tonight, I will drive the monster away.”
The woman tried again to ask him to leave, but the old man just smiled quietly. Finally, she had to go to the mountains without him.
At midnight, Nian entered the village. It felt something was different. The old woman’s house had red Spring Festival couplets on the door and bright lights inside. When Nian rushed toward the house, loud cracking sounds came from the yard. The monster was so scared that it stopped. Then the door opened, and the old man in red came out laughing. Nian was frightened and ran away, never to return.
The next morning, the villagers returned and found the village unharmed. The old woman told everyone what had happened. They saw the red Spring Festival couplets, heard the sound of cracking bamboo, and noticed the red candles. Then they realized: Nian feared red, fire, and loud noises. Since then, every Chinese New Year’s Eve, people have put up red Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, and kept their houses brightly lit. This is how the tradition of “Guo Nian” for the Spring Festival originated(起源).
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