Who knows the folklore stories of traditional Chinese festivals? For example, Tanabata, Spring Festival... Thank you.

Chinese New Year:

Chinese New Year represents the arrival of the New Year in the lunar calendar, and on this day, every family puts big red couplets on their doors to pray for good luck and sets off firecrackers to hope for a good year ahead. According to legend, a long time ago, there was a ferocious monster called "Nian" that kept causing panic. The God of Heaven imprisoned it inside a mountain and only let it out once every twelve months. After twelve months, Nian was released and began to cause trouble.

People discussed ways to deal with the beast, some saying that the year was afraid of the color red, fire and noise. People posted red couplets with auspicious words, set off firecrackers and beat gongs and drums. The monster trembles with fear. When night fell, all the houses lit up their lanterns. The monster was so frightened that it hid in the mountains and never dared to come out again. The New Year monster was defeated, but the custom of celebrating the New Year continues to this day.

Metal Lantern Festival:

The 15th day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar is the Lantern Festival, and the custom dates back two thousand years. Legend has it that in the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor lived a boring and uninteresting life. When he heard that people on the ground were living happily ever after, he was very angry. So he sent a crane with flames burning all over it to the earth to burn it down on the fifteenth day of the first month. A kindly fairy went down to the earth to inform the people of this event.

A wise man suggested that everyone should light a lantern at once. The fairy added that the cranes should be put in a cage and the fire extinguished. When the crane descended to earth, it was caught and put in a cage that could not be set on fire.

People lit lanterns and set off firecrackers and fireworks. The Emperor of Heaven was very happy when he saw the fire on earth. He thought the immortal cranes had succeeded in destroying the earth. In fact, people celebrated their victory by parading around with lanterns. In honor of this day, people hung lanterns or carried lanterns to walk on the streets. This is the Lantern Festival.

Duanwu Festival:

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. On this day, every family in the countryside will eat dumplings wrapped in glutinous rice, wear scented buns and insert wormwood. Why do people eat rice dumplings? Some say it is to honor Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan played an important role in Chu, and was praised for his achievements during the Chu War. The perfidious king slandered him for his faults and he was removed from office.

Soon afterward he was exiled and lived a wandering life. He was grieved by the misfortunes of his country and people. On the 15th day of the 5th lunar month, he committed suicide by throwing himself into the Miluo River to arouse the enthusiasm of the people. The people of Chu threw grains of rice into the river to offer sacrifices to Qu Yuan. Worried that the grains would be eaten by fish and shrimp, the people wrapped the rice in reed leaves and tied them up with silk thread. People also wore incense bags and children wore colorful ropes on their hands. People put mugwort leaves on their doors to symbolize the repulsion of enemy swords.

The Tanabata Festival:

The Beggar's Day is the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Young girls race to thread a needle in honor of the Weaving Maiden. The Weaving Maiden does the work of weaving for the Queen Mother every day, and there is a Cowherd on earth who lives a poor life with only an old yellow cow to keep him company. The Weaving Maiden fell in love with the poor Cowherd. She came down to earth to marry him. She bore him a pair of children and lived happily ever after.

The Queen Mother was very angry. She ordered the heavenly soldiers and generals to bring the Weaving Maiden back to Heaven. One of the generals took the weaving girl back, and Cowherd followed him on the old yellow ox with his children. The Queen Mother plucked a golden hairpin from her head and drew a line in the sky, whereupon a rushing river stood in the way of the Cowherd, separating the couple. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, magpies build a magpie bridge over the Milky Way for the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden to meet.

On this day, girls like to learn to weave by the star of Vega. It is also to celebrate the reunion of the Cowherd and the Weaveress.