Chinese New Year falls on February 5th in the Western year 2019. The Chinese year is 4717, in case you'd like to update your calendar.
This is the year of the Pig. Now, don't be nasty. Pigs are smart and happen to share a lot of genetic material with humans. You might need a pig's heart transplant someday, so be nice. Besides, I was born in the Year of the Pig, so I have a fondness for my porcine friends.
Every year, the horrendous monster 年 (Nián) would terrorize villages. It would eat everything, from mosquitoes to human beings. As time went on, the villagers realized that the monster came every 365 days to wreak havoc before disappearing back into the forests.
So the villagers decided that on that day, they would prepare a feast and dine before the ancestors for protection. After years of hiding like this, a youth came up with the idea to use firecrackers and scare the monster away once and for all.
Such goes the legend of the origin of Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. Because the purpose was to scare off Nian and prevent it from returning, the holiday decorations are typically a bright and loud red.
The color red is much loved by the Chinese in general as it represents happiness and good fortune. Below are some popular decorations used to create festivity for the celebration.
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