Traffic Weather Health Business Bay Area Travel Columnists Classifieds Conferences Search Index Red is an auspicious color during the New Year, meant to convey good cheer and frighten away the demons. So villagers built fires, set off firecrackers, and painted the doors to their houses red.
Firecrackers hang like chiles in many shops during the New Year.
They were originally made from bamboo stems stuffed with gunpowder.