Nian, also known as Xi, was a kind of man eating monster in ancient times. The editor of China story network provides you with detailed relevant content.
In China’s 5000 year splendid civilization history, traditional festival culture has always occupied an important position, especially the Spring Festival, which is most valued by Chinese people. Every time the new year’s Eve comes, every family will eat new year’s Eve, paste Spring Festival couplets, light firecrackers, and wait for the new year in the bright lights, so as to have a happy “new year” of reunion and harmony, and look forward to a bright and red day in the coming year.
In the eyes of most Chinese, the Chinese New Year symbolizes reunion and celebration, and is an important day to maintain family ties and unite people. But in fact, this “year” was extremely unpopular among the ancient people.
In the eyes of the ancient people, “Nian” was a vicious beast. Many legends are related to this evil beast. Let’s first look at the legends.
Legend 1: in ancient times, in the area where human beings lived and lived, a kind of evil animal named Nian appeared. Its appearance was ferocious and strange, and it was bloodthirsty and cruel. They either prey on other animals or eat people and hurt people. Moreover, this “Nian beast” goes out regularly. It usually sleeps in the deep ocean. It only comes out to look for food on the last night of each year and returns to the sea at dawn the next day.
The people suffered greatly from it. They changed color when talking about “Nian” and called this day “Nian Guan” one after another. In order to avoid the harassment of the “new year beast”, people hide their captive livestock at the end of the new year. All people close their doors and hide to eat the “New Year’s Eve dinner”. At the same time, before eating, we offer abundant sacrifices to the gods to bless the family to pass the new year safely.
After dinner, the whole family lit a bonfire and sat around the fire pool all night, trying to strengthen each other’s courage.
At the dawn of the next day, every family will set off firecrackers. While driving away the “new year beast”, they celebrate each other and pass the new year safely.
So, why do people set off firecrackers when driving away the “Nian beast”? This is related to the second legend.
Legend 2: in the ancient times, there was a monster named Nian. It was a beast with one horn. It looked like a lion, with sharp teeth and claws. It was extremely fierce and specialized in cannibalism. Its appearance and appearance date is also on the last night of each year. It comes out of the sea and eats whenever it meets people and animals. It is very difficult for any living creature to escape from its mouth.
One year, when the villagers of a village were helping the old and the young to leave the village and go up the mountain to avoid disaster, a skinny old beggar came to the village. All the people were running for their lives, and no one paid any attention to the old man. Only a wife in the east of the village felt pity and gave the old beggar some food and advised him to run away.
But what is strange is that the old beggar insisted on not leaving and must guard the house for the old woman. When people saw that he was extremely resolute, they had no choice but to let him go.
That night, the “Nian beast” fiercely broke into the village. At that time, the whole village was silent and uninhabited, and only the family in the east of the village still lit the lights. When the “Nian beast” was ready to prey on the only one left, he suddenly heard the crackling sound of firecrackers in the yard, and was scared to flee.
Since then, people have known that the original “Nian beast” is afraid of firecrackers. Therefore, when the new year comes, people no longer go to the mountains to escape, but set off firecrackers at home and stay all night. The ferocious “Nian beast” no longer dared to harass the people in the village.
Besides setting off firecrackers to drive away the “new year animals”, why do people still stick red spring festival couplets during the Spring Festival? This is related to the third legend.
Legend 3: a long time ago, at the end of the new year, a wild animal named Xi came out to hurt people. The people hated it and had no choice but to invite each other to escape into the mountains.
One year, the people who sought refuge met a lonely little boy, and they urged him to follow them up the mountain to escape. But the child claimed that he had a way to deal with the “Xi beast”. According to the method he taught, people hung bright red cloth strips outside the gate and lit a fire. They threw some fresh and wet bamboo knots into the fire and let the fire explode the bamboo knots, making a huge noise.
After entering the village, the “Xi beast” was really frightened by red cloth and firecrackers, and never dared to harass the people in the village.
The people who defeated the “Xi beast” were jubilant and went to visit each other to congratulate each other on peace. This has gradually formed the custom of paying New Year’s greetings. At the same time, hanging red cloth has evolved into pasting Spring Festival couplets, and the tradition of setting off firecrackers has been handed down.
However, these legends about the “Nian beast” only spread among the people, and no records can be found in the historical records.
On the contrary, the original meaning of the word “Nian” is the meaning of “grain maturity”. For example, it is recorded in the biography of Guliang ยท the 3rd year of Duke Huan that “there is a year when all the grains are ripe.”
It takes a long period for grain to mature. In ancient times, when agriculture was still underdeveloped, grain could only mature once a year. Therefore, the original meaning of “Nian” is related to grain maturity.
“Nian” developed from the original meaning of “grain maturity” to “one cycle”, about in the Zhou Dynasty. In the book of songs, it is said that “I have disappeared in the past three years.” “Three years” here means three years.
Later, Erya explained the meaning of “Nian” in detail: “Zai means years. Xia Yue Sui, Shang Yue Si, Zhou Yue Nian and Tang Yu Yue Zai.”
In official documents, “Nian” represents a grain harvest, which is a kind of auspicious. In folklore, “Nian” is a fierce beast. Does this also indicate a kind of class rule. The grain produced by the common people will always be seized by the rulers who get it for nothing. Do the people also regard the rulers as unwelcome “evil beasts”? Disclaimer: the above content is from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author. If your original copyright is infringed, please inform us, and we will delete the relevant content as soon as possible.