Legend has it that there was a huge peach tree stretching for more than 1,500 kilometers on a mountain in the ghost world. It is recorded that the origin of spring couplets can be dated back to 1,000 years ago when people hung taofu (桃符, written charms on peach wood) on doors.
Modernized version of a classic folktale examples how to#
From then on, giving red envelopes became a way to keep children safe and bring good luck.Ĭlick to see Chinese Red Envelopes - Amount, Symbols and How to Give The eight coins turned out to be eight fairies. When Sui tried to touch his head, the eight coins emitted a strong light and scared the demon away. Then the parents placed the packet with eight coins under his pillow. The child wrapped the coins in red paper, opened the packet, rewrapped it, and reopened it until he was too tired to fall asleep. On one New Year's Eve, in an official's family household, the parents gave their child eight coins to play with in order to keep him awake, so as to avoid him being hurt by the demon. To keep children safe from being harmed by Sui, parents would light candles and stay up for the whole night. It was said that the children who were touched by the demon would be too scared to cry out loud, got a terrible fever, and even became mentally unstable. A red envelope is also called yasui qian ( "suppressing Sui money").Īccording to legend, on New Year's Eve, besides the monster Nian, there was a demon named Sui that came out to terrify children while they were asleep. This tradition has been continued until the present time and has become an important way to celebrate the arrival of the new year.Ĭlick to see the History of Chinese New Year.ĭuring the Chinese New Year period, the married or the elderly give red envelopes to children or unmarried juniors. When the villagers came back, they were surprised to discover that the village had not been destroyed.Īfter that, every New Year's Eve, people did as the old man instructed and the monster Nian never showed up again. He refused to hide in the mountains along with the villagers, but successfully scared away the monster by pasting red papers on doors, burning bamboo to make a loud cracking sound (precursor to firecrackers), lighting candles in the houses, and wearing red clothes. People had lived in fear of this monster until an old man with white hair and a ruddy complexion visited the village. Therefore, on the day of New Year's Eve, people would flee to remote mountains to avoid being harmed by the monster.
It dwelled deep in the sea all year round and only showed up every New Year’s Eve to eat people and livestock in nearby villages.
In ancient times, there was a monster named Nian (年, or Nianshou 年兽) with a long head and sharp horns. The character 年 (Nián) could mean a 'year' or 'the monster Nian'. Chinese New Year's Day is called Guo Nian (过年) in Chinese, which can mean 'celebrate (a new) year' or 'overcome Nian'.
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