What are the stories about the origin of the Spring Festival?

1. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a fierce monster called Nian. It is as big as an ox, with a horn on its head and a big mouth. It walks like a fly. It used to eat livestock, but in winter, when food was scarce, it began to eat people. Because of this, every New Year's Eve, people will hide in the mountains to avoid the injury of the year. One year on New Year's Eve, an old beggar came to the village. He saw people packing their bags and preparing to avoid the New Year. He told people that as long as red paper was put on the door and firecrackers were set off, Nian would be scared away. People will be skeptical, but they still decide to try. In the middle of the night, Nian broke into the village and saw every household sticking red paper, candles lit in the house and firecrackers coming from the yard. Nian trembled with fear and ran away in confusion. It turns out that Nian was most afraid of red, fire and explosion. Since then, every year on New Year's Eve, every household has posted red couplets and set off fireworks. This custom spread more and more widely, and later became a grand traditional festival in China.

2. Another way of saying it is: In China's ancient calligraphy books, the word Nian was placed in the Grain Department, indicating that the weather is favorable and the crops are abundant. Because cereal crops are usually harvested once a year. This year was expanded to a year number. Although there was a custom of Spring Festival in ancient China, it was not called Spring Festival at that time. Because the Spring Festival at that time refers to beginning of spring in the 24 solar terms. The Northern and Southern Dynasties generally referred to the Spring Festival as the whole spring. It is said that the Lunar New Year was officially named Spring Festival after the Revolution of 1911. Because the solar calendar was used at that time, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar was renamed the Spring Festival in order to distinguish between farmers and farmers.