About the Spring Festival - the most common legend about the Nian beast?

The Spring Festival has a long history, originating from the primitive beliefs and nature worship of early humans, and evolved from the ancient rituals of praying for good luck at the beginning of the year. All things originate from heaven, and humans originate from ancestors. Praying for good luck, offering sacrifices, and respecting heaven and ancestors are the means of repaying the origin and turning back to the beginning. The origin of the Spring Festival contains profound cultural connotations and carries rich historical and cultural heritage in its inheritance and development. During the Spring Festival, various New Year celebration activities are held across the country, with strong local characteristics.

Among the most common legends about the Nian beast, there are four widely circulated theories. By the way, I will introduce a custom from the transformation of the Nian beast. Let’s take a look with me:

1. The legend of the Nian Beast?

One of the most common legends of the Nian Beast: driving away the Nian Beast

Modern folk customs call the Spring Festival also called Chinese New Year, and the Spring Festival is celebrated in every household A day of reunion. There is also a legend about the New Year: According to legend, in ancient times, there was a monster called "Nian", which lived on the bottom of the sea for a long time, only to climb ashore every New Year's Eve, devouring livestock and damaging human lives. So every year on New Year's Eve, people in the village take their families to avoid the Nian beast.

On New Year's Eve this year, the "Nian" beast broke into the village. It saw a house with bright candles and a red paper on the door. "Nian" screamed and rushed towards it. When approaching the door, there was a sudden "bang bang bang bang" explosion sound in the courtyard, and "Nian" did not dare to come near. At this time, the courtyard door opened wide, and the old man wearing a red robe was seen laughing in the courtyard. "Nian" was frightened and ran away in embarrassment. This matter soon spread in other villages, and everyone knew how to drive away the Nian beast.

From then on, every New Year's Eve, every household posted red couplets and set off firecrackers to drive away the "Nian" beast. This custom spread more and more widely, and from then on there was "New Year".

?The second most common legend about the Nian beast: the "Xi" beast?

A long time ago, there was a monster named "Xi" who specialized in harming people and especially liked to eat beautiful things. girl. The people hated it so much, but there was nothing they could do about it. There was a hunter named Qilang who was extremely powerful and could shoot arrows very well. He also had a very powerful hunting dog. Qilang saw that the people were suffering from "Xi" and wanted to get rid of it. He took his hunting dog everywhere to look for "Xi", but couldn't find it.

It turns out that "Xi" only comes out to harm people on the night of the 30th of the twelfth lunar month. It is never seen and no one knows where it lives. Qilang has been looking for "Xi" for a year, and it's the thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month again. He came to a town and saw people happily preparing for the New Year. He thought to himself: "This town is big and there are many girls. Maybe Xi will come here, and I will wait for her here." It told the town People: "Xi is most afraid of noises. Don't sleep at night. Find something that can knock loudly next to you. Once you find "Xi", knock it hard. Then I will get rid of Xi."

< p>At night, "Xi" came as expected, and was discovered as soon as it broke into a house. The family immediately started knocking on pots and pans. When this family started knocking, the whole town also started knocking. Xi was so frightened that she ran around, but Qilang saw her. The hunting dog bit "Xi"'s hind leg. Qilang took the opportunity to shoot fiercely with his bow, and finally shot "Xi" to death. Since then, people have called the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month "New Year's Eve". On this night, every household will watch the New Year's Eve and set off firecrackers to drive away bad luck and welcome happiness and auspiciousness.

?The third most common legend about the Nian beast: "Nian" New Year's Eve?

According to legend, a long time ago, there was a monster called "Xi" that would appear every year The New Year is approaching, and "Xi" always comes out to eat people. Even the "Jiutian East Chef Ming Taiyi Yuanhuang Dingfu and Zou Shan Tianzun" has nothing to do with "Xi". This is a very long name. Who is it? This one was conferred by the Jade Emperor, the "Kitchen Lord" worshiped by every household of the common people!

This monster called "Xi" comes out to cause trouble and harm the people at the end of the year, so the supervisor sent by God, the head of our family, the Kitchen God, reported to heaven, and heaven sent a man named The mythical beast of "year". This mythical beast called "Nian" has great magical powers and powerful magic. He waves red silk and puts the bamboo pole in the fire. It burns with crackling sounds, which scares away the Xi beast. Finally eliminated the Xi beast!

And this day happens to be the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, and it is not the last day of the twelfth lunar month. In order to thank and commemorate the Nian beast for getting rid of the Xi beast on this day, the people put the twelfth month of the lunar calendar every year, which is also the last day of the twelfth lunar month. That is, the last day of the twelfth lunar month is called "New Year's Eve", and the first day of the New Year is called "New Year's Eve". After the Xi beast was eliminated, people hoped that every household would have the red silk and crackling bamboo poles in the hands of the Nian beast. So the red silk and the crackling bamboo poles burned in the fire slowly evolved into every household. There are red couplets and firecrackers during the Chinese New Year. Acts as a deterrent and to ward off evil spirits!

The fourth most common legend about the Nian beast: "Qilang shoots Xi?"

A long time ago, there was a monster named "Xi" who specialized in harming people and especially liked to eat beautiful things. Girl. The people hated it, but there was nothing they could do. There was a hunter named Qilang who was very powerful and shot very well. He also had a very powerful hunting dog. Qilang saw that the people were suffering from "Xi". , just wanted to get rid of it. He took the hunting dog everywhere to look for "Xi", but couldn't find it.

It turns out that "Xi" only comes out to harm people on the night of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. There was no trace of it, and no one knew where it lived. Qilang had been looking for "Xi" for a year, and it was the 30th of the twelfth lunar month.

He came to a town and saw people happily preparing for the New Year. He thought to himself: "This town is big and there are many girls. Maybe Xi will come here, and I will wait for her here." It told the town People: "Xi is most afraid of noises. Don't sleep at night. Find something that can knock loudly next to you. Once you find "Xi", knock it hard. Then I will get rid of Xi."

< p>At night, "Xi" came as expected. It was discovered as soon as it broke into a house. The family immediately started knocking pots and pans, and when the family started knocking, the whole town started knocking too. Xi was so frightened that she ran around, but Qilang saw her. The hunting dog bit "Xi"'s hind leg. Qilang took the opportunity to shoot fiercely with his bow, and finally shot "Xi" to death. Since then, people have called the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month "New Year's Eve". On this night, every household will stay up late and set off firecrackers to drive away bad luck and welcome happiness and auspiciousness.

2. The custom of the transformation of the Nian beast: staying up until the end of the year?

"Staying up and staying up until the new year" is a custom that comes from the transformation of the Nian beast. This is also the most commonly heard one. legend. Every New Year's Eve, in ancient times, there was a ferocious monster that lived scattered in the deep mountains and dense forests. People called them "Nian". It has a ferocious appearance and a ferocious nature. It specializes in eating birds, beasts, and scale insects. It changes its taste every day, ranging from kowtowing insects to living people, making people talk about "New Year". Later, people gradually grasped the activity pattern of "Nian". It would rush to crowded places to taste fresh food every three hundred and sixty-five days, and its appearance time would always be after dark, until the rooster crows and dawn. , they returned to the mountains and forests. ?

Having calculated the date when the "New Year" would be rampant, the people regarded this terrible night as a critical moment, called it "New Year's Eve", and came up with a whole set of ways to celebrate the New Year: Every night on this day, every household prepares dinner in advance, turns off the heat and cleans the stove, fastens all the chicken pens and cattle pens, seals the front and back doors of the house, and hides in the house to eat the "New Year's Eve dinner", because This dinner has the meaning of bad luck, so it is very sumptuous. In addition to having the whole family eat together to express harmony and reunion, they must also offer sacrifices to their ancestors before eating, pray for the blessing of their gods, and live in peace. That night, after dinner, no one dared to sleep, so they sat huddled together chatting and building up their courage. The custom of staying up late on New Year's Eve gradually formed.

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Of course, these are just legends, but these clear and well-organized legends can reflect from the side that in ancient farming societies, people were afraid of nature and regarded their fear as highly abstract. But it also tells us that we are not powerless in the face of fear. The myths and legends of always "punishing evil and promoting good" pray to God for good weather and let the people live and work in peace and contentment!