Chinese New Year and the Evil Spirit Nian
posted by Krista | 2/7/2005 4:53:52 PM | Permalink | 
Stumble It!
According to this article
It is said that long ago, the Chinese people thought that an evil spirit, called Nian, brought the long darkness and severe cold of winter that killed many people. The Chinese decided on a plan to frighten Nian away. When the moon was at its darkest, they gathered together. At midnight, they started burning bamboo which crackled and popped. The bright light and the staccato of sounds produced by the burning bamboo coupled with the beating of gongs and drums frightened Nian.
As he fled, people felt the warm air of spring displacing the biting cold of winter. They celebrated their triumph by dancing, singing, and sharing food. They congratulated each other with the words, "Quo Nian hao!" or "It is good to have Nian go!."
Until today, people still greet each other with these words. But Nian now refers to "year," changing the greeting's meaning to "It's very good to have the old year go." Children greet their grandparents in expectation of gifts, usually money put in red envelopes called "hungpao."
Then, they may add a hearty "Kong hee hat chay" or "Kong ho sun hee," which means "May your life be prosperous."
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