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Ms G
Some living in Harare may have heard fireworks on Monday night this week. Yes, it was the Chinese New Year’s Eve. It is a lunar calender date that marks the turn of the year.
On this day, some cultural norms are observed, as they have been for millennia. Among them are wearing red, displaying fireworks, keeping the light on throughout the night, and putting on red couplets on the door.
These practices originated from an ancient legend. Once upon a time, a ferocious beast called Nian living underneath the ocean would always come ashore every Chinese New Year’s Eve to feast on animals and humans in a small village.
No one could kill it. So villagers every year would flee to the mountains on this day to avoid Nian’s hunting.
One New Year’s eve, as they were again making their way up the mountains, an old man came to the village. He dressed like a beggar, but had confident manners like that of an immortal. No one had time for him.
They were busying running for their lives, taking with them valuables and domestic animals.
Only a kind old lady offered him food and advised, “Go with us to the mountains or you will be killed by Nian.”
The old man smiled, “Let me stay in your house for the night. I will chase it away.”
The old lady did not believe him; but she had to leave the house alone as the old man insisted on staying.
At midnight, Nian came. Immediately after it broke into the village, it found something unusual — the village was not completely deserted as in the past years; one house was fully lit. Nian sneaked up to the house and was stunned by the red papers pasted on the gate. This was infuriating.
Nian growled and pounced on the house. All of a sudden, something began to crackle loudly inside and the old man stepped outside in a red cape. Nian was deeply frightened; and ran away and never came back.
It turns out, as the villagers learned, that the beast was terrified of light, the colour red, and noises.
Ever since then, on Chinese New Year’s Eve, people have been putting up red paper decorations, burning lanterns all night, wearing red, and setting off firecrackers to keep the monster away.
The traditional lion dance, with its beating of drums, cymbals and gongs, was also developed to frighten Nian with the image of another powerful beast.
The Chinese term for the New Year, Guo Nian, literally means the “passing of Nian”.
Online Reporter