Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve

There is a legend about the origin of the Spring Festival. In ancient China, there was a monster called "Nian" who lived deep under the sea for years and climbed ashore every New Year's Eve. People fled deep into the mountains to escape the harm of Nian. Later, on New Year's Eve, an old man from outside the village told people how to drive away the "Nian" beast. It turns out that "Nian" is most afraid of red color, fire and explosion. Since then, every New Year's Eve, every family stick red couplets, set off firecrackers; Household candle light, keep more to the year. The second day early in the morning, also need to visit friends congratulate and greeting friends for escaped the injury from "Nian".Thus the Chiese people also named/pronounced “New Year's Eve day” as “Guo Nian”,which means “Nian” is gone This custom spread more and more widely, became the Spring Festival.

On Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve, all the members of Chinese families will gather from all over the world to have the New Year's Eve dinner. The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is a family reunion dinner. It is the most sumptuous and important dinner at the end of the New Year. After the New Year's Eve dinner, the elders will be prepared to send New Year's money(alsl called “Ya Sui Money” in pronunciation) to the younger generation. It is said that New Year's money can suppress evil spirits, and the younger generation can get New Year's money to spend one year in peace; On New Year's Eve, candles are burned all night, which is said to enrich the family's wealth in the coming year.

From the second day after New Year's Eve, it is the Spring Festival / the lunar New Year. The Spring Festival are days to replace the old and bring new scene. Although the Spring Festival is scheduled on the first day of the first lunar month, the activities of the Spring Festival are not  at this day only. From the “Minus New Year” (usually is a week or six days before the New Year's Eve), people began to "busy year" : cooking stove, house clean, purchase New Year goods, stick New Year red couplet, shampoo and shower,hang lanterns and decorations, etc., all these activities, there is a common theme, that is, "farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year". The Spring Festival is a festival of joy and harmony, family reunion, but also people express happiness and freedom yearning carnival and spiritual pillar forever. The Spring Festival is also a day for offering sacrifices and praying for the New Year. Sacrifice is a belief activity, which is a belief activity created by human beings in ancient times to live in harmony with the nature of heaven and earth.