The Spring Festival is the biggest deal for Chinese people, and there’s tons of fun stuff we do for it—plus a cool legend behind it!

You know, the holiday actually started with a scary monster called “Nian” (which sounds just like the Chinese word for “year”). This beast would come down from the mountains on New Year’s Eve, messing with villages and scaring people. But over time, the villagers figured out Nian hated three things: loud noises, bright lights, and the color red. That’s why we still set off fireworks or firecrackers (the loud booms scare the monster away!) and decorate our homes with the red color—like when we paste couplets or the character Fu on the both sides or the center of  the door, paper-cut pictures on windows (all that red keeps Nian far away).

Right before the holiday, families will clean the house to get rid of bad luck (sort of a fresh start to keep Nian from sticking around) and make special purchases for the New Year—stocking up on snacks, new clothes, all the good stuff. A lot of people also worship the Kitchen God to ask for a smooth year ahead.

On New Year’s Eve, after decorating, we have the reunion dinner—the biggest meal of the year, where the whole family sits down and eats like kings. Later, almost everyone watches the Spring Festival Gala (it’s basically a yearly tradition, even if we joke about it). When midnight hits? The fireworks start—that’s the moment we chase Nian away for good!

And the best part for kids? Getting to receive lucky money from older family members—little red envelopes full of cash, just for them!

                      图文：郝依宁