Did you know that Chinese New Year is traditionally celebrated by setting off fireworks? Here’s an ancient Chinese myth that explains why.
Once there was a terrible monster that appeared around the time of the new year. This monster’s name was Nian, which means “year” in Chinese. Nian was very fierce—he threatened to destroy every last person. The emperor of China, fed up with his people being terrorized by the monster, asked the help of a wise man.
The wise man challenged Nian. He chided the monster for wasting his strength and ferocity on insignificant humans, who could never be a match for him. He suggested that Nian prove his real power by destroying other monsters. Intrigued by the challenge, Nian destroyed all of the monsters on Earth within a year, but then he returned at the start of the new year to terrorize mankind again.
Only this time, some children playing with firecrackers noticed that the fierce and terrible monster was afraid of the noise—it scared him away. The children told everyone about this and from then on, on New Year’s Eve, firecrackers, drums, and gongs were used to scare away the last remaining monster on Earth—Nian.
Most birds fly south for the winter. The North American poorwill hibernates.