Nian

A Nian (年獸) is a mythological animal from Chinese mythology. According to Chinese mythology, the Nian lives under the sea and in the mountains. In Chinese, nian means "year" or "new year". 

According to a story, Nian came down from the mountains regularly to hunt people. The villagers were very afraid of it and locked themselves in their houses. One man in the village suggested they should chase the monster away together. So they did, with the noise of drums and fireworks. The monster got afraid and ran around until it was completely tired and the villagers killed it. This is how the first Chinese New Year celebration started.

According to another story, Nian terrorized villages on the last day of the lunar year. Villagers fled to the mountains each year to escape it, until an old man promised to drive it away. 

On that night, the old man used firecrackers and red clothing to scare Nian off, revealing himself as a celestial being. The villagers then adopted customs like hanging red decorations and setting off firecrackers, leading to the celebration of Lunar New Year’s Eve.

References

Category:Legendary creatures
Category:Chinese mythology