Happy Chinese New Year!
I found the following info about the history and legend of Chinese New Year by visiting the China Town Connection website:
The history of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years through a continually evolving series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is that of Nien, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast, which the Chinese believe, eats people on New Year’s Eve. To keep Nien away, red-paper couplets are pasted on doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night, because Nien is said to fear the color red, the light of fire, and loud noises. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nien away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is kung-hsi, or “congratulations.” To read more, click here.
Those always-so-clever clever artists at Google have created a very cute graphic to represent this auspicious day. If you missed it, you can find it here.
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