恭喜發財！新年快樂！
Lunar New Year is coming, this year is January 29th(2025/1/29).
We know that "年" means "year ", but did you know that "年" is also a beast? Today, the story of the beast "年" (年獸).
年獸
According to Chinese folklore, when the old year ends and the new year begins, a beast with horns on its head will appear, Its name is "年". 年 eats everything, insects, fish, birds, land animals, even humans, and it feeds from the night of the old year to the dawn of the new year. So everyone will hide in the house every year when the time comes.
People think of this terrible night as "關煞". "關煞" refers to the disaster that will definitely happen in life. This is what our ancient numerologists said. Therefore, the disaster that will definitely happen at the end of the year is called: "年關".
- But now that we use the word "年關," it usually just means that the Lunar New Year is approaching.。
For example, this is a post from the New Taipei City Police Department: "年關將至、宵小猖獗"
"宵小" is a pejorative term. It refers to a thief or robber.
"猖獗" is used to describe a certain bad behavior or phenomenon that is very serious, difficult to control, and tends to spread. So rampant.
The post is used to alert people to theft and other security risks.
Now, go back to our story.
So, on the last night of each year, people will lock the doors and stay inside, eating "年夜飯". Since this may be the last meal, it will be very hearty. Before eating, people must worship their ancestors and pray to them to bless them to get through the night safely.
After dinner, no one dares to sleep. Instead, they sit together and talk, which is called 守歲staying up late. After staying up until midnight, people who have passed the "年關" will happily say "恭喜(congratulations)" to each other, congratulating each other on not being eaten by the "年獸".
One year, a village was almost devoured by the 年獸. But 年獸 ignored the newlyweds who hung red curtains in their houses and turned to a house with a bamboo tree in the yard. At that moment, the children sneaked into the courtyard to play with firecrackers and set fire to the bamboo trees. The bamboo burned and crackled, making a thunderous noise. The 年獸 were frightened by the sound and ran away from the village. Since then, people have known that the年獸 is afraid of red color, flashes of lightning, and thunderous noise. Therefore, sticking 春聯 in the doorway and setting off firecrackers after midnight have become Lunar New Year customs
One year, a village was almost devoured by the 年獸. But 年獸 ignored the newlyweds who hung red curtains in their houses and turned to a house with a bamboo tree in the yard. At that moment, the children sneaked into the courtyard to play with firecrackers and set fire to the bamboo trees. The bamboo burned and crackled, making a thunderous noise. The 年獸 were frightened by the sound and ran away from the village. Since then, people have known that the年獸 is afraid of red color, flashes of lightning, and thunderous noise. Therefore, sticking 春聯 in the doorway and setting off firecrackers after midnight have become Lunar New Year customs
In Taiwan, we also have a unique monster of the year, its name is "燈猴".
燈猴
The earliest literary record comes from 李献璋's (Li Xianzhang) 《臺灣民間文學集》 (Taiwan Folk Literature Collection) in 1936.
One day, the oracle said: Taiwan will sink to the bottom of the sea at midnight on New Year's Eve!
At that time, the people of Taiwan were in the midst of year-end worship activities, and the sudden receipt of such an oracle was naturally a cause of panic. Although they are afraid, people still send the Deities they worship at home back to the Divine Realm to avoid being affected.
At that time, the people of Taiwan were in the midst of year-end worship activities, and the sudden receipt of such an oracle was naturally a cause of panic. Although they are afraid, people still send the Deities they worship at home back to the Divine Realm to avoid being affected.
After these Deities returned to the Divine Realm, they immediately asked the Supreme Deity the reason, then found out that the people of Taiwan had forgotten to sacrifice the "燈猴" (monkey-shaped candlestick) during this year's sacrificial activities, so 燈猴 lied to the Supreme Deity: Taiwanese people waste food and are ungrateful. The Supreme Deity was very angry when he heard this and decided to let Taiwan sink to the bottom of the sea at midnight on New Year's Eve.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese on the ground began to eat their last meal. After dinner, parents take out money and distribute it to their families as travel expenses on the way to the underworld, that is, "壓歲錢 (The red envelope received during the Lunar New Year)."
Then everyone gathers without sleep and waits for the last moment, which is called "守歲". There is a saying that the later children go to bed on this day, the longer their parents will live.
After midnight nothing unusual happened in Taiwan, and then people discovered that the deities had explained to the Supreme Deity and the oracle had been canceled. So every household set off firecrackers to celebrate and said "恭喜" to each other.
The first day of survival is called "初一".
People will go to temples to worship and thank the Deities for their blessings. This custom is called "行春(走春)".
The next day, the second day, 初二, the married daughter will return to her parents' home to see if her parents are well. This is the custom of "初二回娘家(Returning to the Parental Home on the Second Day of the Lunar New Year.)"
On the third day, 初三, People will sleep peacefully until they wake up naturally.
On the fourth day, 初四, people will hold worship to welcome the deities back, which is called "迎神".
The next day, the second day, 初二, the married daughter will return to her parents' home to see if her parents are well. This is the custom of "初二回娘家(Returning to the Parental Home on the Second Day of the Lunar New Year.)"
On the third day, 初三, People will sleep peacefully until they wake up naturally.
On the fourth day, 初四, people will hold worship to welcome the deities back, which is called "迎神".
On the fifth day, 初五, When make sure everyone, everything is safe and sound. It's time to start work, the business owner will hold a small ceremony, the custom is called "初五開工".
This story should be written to tell children what to do during the Lunar New Year. But I never heard this story when I was a child.
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