Jenny Su

Vanquishing the Nian Beast

"The villagers pasted bright red papers on their windows and waved lanterns and popping firecrackers around. The beast was overwhelmed by the searing colours and loud noises and ran away, never to be seen again as the tradition was passed on and became Chinese New Year."

“Long ago, a beast named Nian, terrorized and ate the children of a small village at the end of every year. One year, an old man came to the village and promised to drive the beast away. He told the villagers that the beast feared the colour red, loud noises, and bright lights. He instructed the villagers to paste red paper on their windows, light firecrackers and lanterns, and wear red clothes. Together late at night, he waited with the villagers for the beast, and once it appeared, everyone gathered wearing red while waving firecrackers around to confuse the beast. The red colours hurt the beast’s eyes and the loud noises hurt its ears. Afraid, the beast finally ran off and the village celebrated their survival and riddance of the beast. To ensure that it never came back, this tradition was repeated every year and became the celebration of Chinese New Year. The shoulder piece references the conquering of the beast and the triumph over its defeat as it is worn like a proud trophy.”