Myths from Around the World

Chinese New Year Origin: Legend of Monster Nian

Chinese New Year 2022: 5 Stories And

Legends To Know | Tatler Asia

Chinese New Year's Day is called Guo Nian

(过年) in Chinese, which can mean 'celebrate
(a new) year' or 'overcome Nian'. The
character 年 (Nián) could mean a 'year' or
'the monster Nian'.

In ancient times, there was a monster named

Nian (年, or Nianshou 年兽) with a long head
and sharp horns. It dwelled deep in the sea all year round and only showed up every New
Year’s Eve to eat people and livestock in nearby villages.

Therefore, on the day of New Year's Eve, people would flee to remote mountains to avoid
being harmed by the monster. People had lived in fear of this monster until an old man with
white hair and a ruddy complexion visited the village.

He refused to hide in the mountains along with the villagers, but successfully scared away the
monster by pasting red papers on doors, burning bamboo to make a loud cracking sound
(precursor to firecrackers), lighting candles in the houses, and wearing red clothes. When the
villagers came back, they were surprised to discover that the village had not been destroyed.

After that, every New Year's Eve, people did as the old man instructed and the monster Nian
never showed up again. This tradition has been continued until the present time and has
become an important way to celebrate the arrival of the new year.
Legend of the Tet Pole
Vietnam
https://oivietnam.com/2016/02/the-legend-of-the-tet-pole/

Once upon a time in Vietnam, demons ruled the land. People had to work very hard for the
Demon King, giving him a portion of their harvest every year. The Demon King noticed that
the people were planting rice and eating the wonderful food at the tips.

So one year, the Demon King

said that he would take the
tips of the rice plants and
the humans could have the
rest. When it came time to
harvest, all the humans had
left were the scraggly stalks
and roots. The demons were
fat and happy while the
humans were reduced to
skin and bones.

The kind Buddha wanted to

help the humans against the cruel demons, so he told them to plant potatoes the next year.
When the Demon King came to collect his tribute, all he got were the worthless vines and
leaves while the humans feasted on the tubers below. The Demon King was furious, but a deal
was a deal. He decreed that next year, the demons would take both the tips and the roots,
thinking that whatever the humans planted, the demons were sure to get the best parts.

Again, the Buddha came to the humans and told them to plant corn instead. The humans
listened to the Buddha and when harvest time came, they gave the Demon King the silky tips
and the roots and kept the delicious hanging ears of corn for themselves. Seeing that he had
been tricked again, the Demon King forbade the humans from planting anything the next
year.

The Buddha appeared to the humans and told them to call the Demon King to negotiate
another deal. The humans gathered all the money they had and asked the Demon King to buy
just the land under the shadow of a cloak hanging off a bamboo pole. Whatever was under the
shadow would belong to the humans. The land outside the shadow would be the Demon
King’s. Thinking it was a good deal, the greedy Demon King agreed, and both sides signed an
agreement.

The people planted a bamboo plant and the Buddha created magic. He made the bamboo
grow higher and higher towards the sun and the cloak expanded wider and wider. As the
bamboo grew close to the sun, the cloak cast an ever wider shadow until it covered all of
Vietnam. The demons had to retreat farther and farther back until there was nowhere to go
but into the sea.

Seeing that they were thwarted, the demons regrouped and returned to take back the land.
The war was fierce. But the Buddha helped the humans and they won many battles. The
demons then sought to find out what the Buddha was afraid of. The Buddha let it be known
that he was afraid of fruits, rice cakes and bananas. The Buddha also discovered that the
demons were afraid of dog’s blood, pandan leaves, garlic and calcified lime.

In the next battle, the demons brought fruits, rice cakes and bananas and threw them at the
Buddha. The Buddha instructed the humans to gather everything up as food and then chase
the demons, sprinkling dog’s blood and throwing lime at them while whipping them with
pandan leaves. The demons were again chased into the sea. Accepting defeat, they begged
the Buddha to allow them to return to the land a few days every year to visit the graves of
their ancestors. The merciful Buddha agreed.

That is why, every year at Tet, people erect bamboo Tet poles with little bits of fabric,
noisemakers and a few pandan leaves, to remind the demons not to encroach on the land of
the humans.

The view that adorns the world’s largest city – Mexico City – is enhanced by the majesty of two
of the highest volcanoes in the hemisphere: Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl. The presence of
these enormous millenary volcanoes has been of great significance for the different societies
that have admired and revered them, being a source of inspiration for the many legends
about their origin and creation.
The Legend of Popocatepetl & Iztaccihuatl A Love Story
Mexico
https://www.inside-mexico.com/the-legend-of-popocatepetl-iztaccihuatl/#gsc.tab=0

Among these, the best known are two below. Thousands of years ago, when the Aztec Empire
dominated the Valley of Mexico, it was common practice to subject neighboring towns and to
require a mandatory tax. It was then that the chief of the Tlaxcaltecas, bitter enemies of the
Aztecs, weary of this terrible oppression, decided to fight for his people’s freedom.

The chief had a daughter named Iztaccihuatl: the most beautiful of all the princesses, who
had professed her love for young Popocatepetl, one of her father’s people and the most
handsome warrior. Both professed a deep love for each other, so before leaving for war,
Popocatepetl asked the chief for the hand of Princess Iztaccihuatl.
The father gladly agreed and promised to welcome him back with a big celebration to give
him his daughter’s hand if he returned victorious from the battle. The brave warrior accepted,
prepared everything, and departed keeping in his heart the promise that the princess would
be waiting for him to consummate their love. Soon afterward a love rival of Popocatepetl,
jealous of the love they professed to each other, told Princess Iztaccihuatl that her beloved
had died in combat

Crushed and overwhelmed by sadness, the princess died without even knowing that it was a
lie. Popocatepetl returned victorious to his people, hoping to find his beloved princess. Upon
arrival, he received the terrible news of the death of Iztaccihuatl.
Devastated by the news, he wandered about the streets for several days and nights, until he
decided he had to do something to honor her love and to assure the princess would not ever
be forgotten. He ordered a great tomb to be built under the sun, piling ten hills together to
form a huge mountain. He carried the body of his Princess in his arms, took her to the summit
and laid her on the great mountain.

The young warrior lovingly kissed her cold lips, took a smoking torch, and knelt in front of his
beloved to watch over her eternal sleep. From then on they remain together, facing each
other. Over time, snow-covered their bodies forming two enormous volcanoes that would
remain together until the end of time.

The legend goes on to say that when the warrior Popocatepetl remembers his beloved, his
heart – that preserves the fire of eternal passion – shakes and his torch smokes. That’s why,
even today; the Popocatepetl volcano continues spewing fumaroles.

This legend has been passed on from generation to generation since the time of the Aztec
Empire, in the XIV century, and the importance given to them is clear, for the names that they
have today were given to them since that time.
The Rainbow Serpant (Australia, Aboriginal myth)
https://worldstories.org.uk/reader/the-rainbow-serpent/english/253

Long ago in the Dreamtime a group of Aboriginals were out hunting. After many hours, they
grew tired and decided to rest and as they sat around, telling stories and warming their hands
by the fire, one of them looked up.

There on the horizon was a beautiful multi-coloured arch – a rainbow. But the Aboriginals
thought that it was a serpent moving from one waterhole to another and they were frightened
as they did not want the huge brightly-coloured serpent in a waterhole near their camp. But
they were grateful that he did not seem to be moving too near their own waterhole.

One young man, wanted to know more about the Rainbow Serpent so when he returned
home, he asked the old men of his tribe why the hunters had been scared of the Rainbow
Serpent.

The old men told him that the Rainbow Serpent was one of the Dreamtime creatures who had
shaped the Earth.

In the beginning the Earth was flat. As the Rainbow Serpent wound his way across the land,
the movement of his body formed the mountains and the valleys where the rivers lived. He
was the biggest of the Dreamtime Beings and his power scared even the other Dreamtime
Creatures.
At last, tired with the effort of shaping the Earth, the Rainbow Serpent crawled into a
waterhole where he lay in the cool water which soothed him and softened the bright colours
of his body.

Each time the animals visited the waterhole, they were careful not to disturb the water, for
although they could not see him they knew he was there.

He only came out after heavy rainstorms when his waterhole was disturbed and when the sun
touched his coloured body. Then he rose up from the waterhole and travelled over the
tree-tops, up through the clouds and across the plain to another waterhole.

The people were fearful that he was angry and would churn up the land once again so they
were very quiet and still as he moved to his new home. Once he was there he disappeared
beneath the water again and was not to be seen.

That is why Aboriginals are careful not to disturb the Rainbow Serpent, as they see him going
across the sky, from one waterhole to another.