Go away, Nian

The Chinese celebrate their New Year, known as the Spring festival, in a big way. It is the beginning of their lunar calendar. They, bring in their new year with grand celebrations; families get together to enjoy fun and festivities. Do you want to know how it all began?

Many thousand years ago in China, there lived a huge and ferocious monster called Nian, who lived at the bottom of the sea. Every year, towards the end of winter, he would get out of his watery abode and terrorize the hapless people of Tao Hua (meaning cherry blossom) a little seaside village.

With food and crops getting scarce at that time of the year, life was tough for the villagers anyway. But a monster coming up to eat them and their livestock was even worse. So every year, at the fag end of winter, they would pack their belongings and move further up the mountains with their cattle, sheep and pigs.

One year, as the villagers were locking up their homes and preparing to leave, an old man came to Tao Hua. He had a flowing white beard and carried with him a stick and a bag. Although an old man, he did not appear very frail and had a ruddy complexion. He watched in silence as the villagers busied themselves with all the things one does last-minute before a long journey. Nobody cared to pay him any attention except an old woman, who took pity on him and gave him some food to eat.

‘I have travelled a long way and can go no further. Could I find some place to rest tonight?’ he asked her after the meal.

The woman looked at him strangely. ‘What? Can’t you see what’s happening around you? All of us are trying to get away from that wicked monster Nian who’ll be upon our village anytime now. And when he comes, he destroys everything in sight because there’s no one left for him to eat here! Come away with us!’

‘Oh no, no, no! I don’t fear any monsters. I’m going to stay right here,’ smiled the old man.

‘You must be out of your mind then,’ said the woman, ‘and if you are going to be so foolish, lock yourself inside this home of mine.

Let’s hope Nian won’t spot you. And be quiet, very quiet!’ Leaving the keys of her house with him, the old woman left with her grandson.

At the stroke of midnight, Nian rose from the sea and made his way to the village of Tao Hua. He had the head of a lion, with massive horns on it and a dragon’s body. It was a dark night and as he entered the village, he heard strange, loud sounds, like the bursting of crackers. He followed the sound and came upon a little hut. The windows of the hut were covered in bright red.

Now, Nian was a monster all right but he had his fears too. And the colour red he was really very, very scared of. The house was brightly illuminated as if there were candles or a bonfire burning inside. Nian, despite his fear, began to get angry and flared his nostrils. Who is this who dared to call so much attention? He was hungry and decided to eat this thing, whatever it was. He thought he’d try the back door but found that, too, decorated with red. He went from window to window and all of them were covered in red! Nian screamed in fright.

Inside, there came the clanging of pots and pans and more crackling sounds. Suddenly, the door of the hut burst open and a man rushed out, dressed in red amidst the din of crackers and fire! Frightened, Nian ran away as fast as he could back to his ocean home.

After a reasonable amount of time had passed, the villagers thought it safe to return home. When they came back to the mountain they were surprised, and pleasantly so, to find their homes undisturbed.

The old man had disappeared and all that remained in the woman’s hut were the red decorations on the windows, the remains of the pile of bamboo that had made the crackling bonfire and the pots and pans which made the clanging noise.

The old woman told the people about the old visitor who had come to her home just before they had all left. It dawned on them that the old man with the white beard was an angel, a good spirit that had driven Nian away. ‘He had come here to help us and now we know what to do,’ they said. From then on, when the New Year arrived, they decorated their homes with red, burst crackers and lit red lanterns. Nian, they knew, would never come that way again.

Even today, families gather to celebrate the beginning of a New Year which they call Guo Nian. Guo translates to ‘passover’ and Nian means ‘year’, also the name of the lion-headed monster.