新年起源

MJ, Sara, Daniel, Arman

The Beginning of the Celebration of New Year
No one is truly sure of how the Chinese New Year started. It is
unclear of its origins.

Normally, the Chinese new year was said to start from the year
end religious ceremony during the Shang Dynasty (1766 BC -
1122 BC).

Some people believe that the Chinese New Year started from
as early as Emperor Yao and Shun (-2300 BC).
Story
According to tails and legends, the beginning of
Chinese New Year started with a fight against a
mythical beast called “Year”. “Year” looks like an ox
with a lion head and it roams the seas. “Year” would
come out on New Year’s Eve and harm people,
animals, and property. Later, people found that
Year feared the color red, fire, and loud sounds.

This explains why during Chinese New Years, red is

a very important color and firecrackers are often
used.
Story
There was a demon named Nian (年) who would descend
upon the village on the first day of the year. The demon
would eat the grain and livestock and the unfortunate
children.

One day, an old man told the villagers that the demon feared
red, so the villagers hung red signs on their doors, made loud
noises with fireworks, and gave children masks and lanterns
to protect them. The villagers did as told and Nian never
returned again.

In Chinese, guo nian (过年）means new year. It also means

“pass over Nian” or “overcome Nian” which is what the
villagers did.
阳历 / Solar Calendar
- A year on this calendar has an average of 365 days
- It follows the sun, or the Earth’s movement around the sun
- The date for Feng Shui adjustments to be finalized usually
falls on February 3rd or 4th
- There is no seasonal drift, unlike the Lunar calendar
 阴历 / Lunar Calendar
- The Lunar calendar is based off of the moon cycle
- 1 year is 12 month lunar months
- Lunar months begin every new moon
- Months are 29 to 30 days
- A 13th month is added every 2 to 3 years to balance out the
calendar
Questions
Q: How did “Year” look like in the first story?
A: An ox with a lion head

Q: Why do Chinese people like red and firecrackers during the New Year?
A: To scare off the monsters

Q: Which calendar is based off of the moon cycle?

A: Lunar Calendar
Sources
http://windandwaterfengshui.com/fengshuiflorida/2017/01/10/solar-lunar-
chinese-new-year/

http://www.chinesenewyears.info/chinese-new-year-history.php

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-chinese-new-year-687496
 谢谢
Thanks for Watching