In a Chinese legend, "Nien" was a terrible beast. It ate not only animals but also people. People felt that they had to do something to stop Nien from eating any more people. They found that Nien was scared of three things-anything colored red, loud noises and fire.When the next winter came, many people put red couplets on their front doors. People set off firecrackers to make loud noises. People also set bonfires in front of their houses.
One night, Nien came. The red couplets, the noises and the fire frightened it. So it ran away to the mountains and never came back again.
People stayed up all night with their families because they were afraid. The next morning, people discovered that Nien had run away! They congratulated each other by saying "Gon Xi."
Now, shortly before Chinese New Year, all Chinese clean up their houses. It is symbolic of sweeping away all bad luck. Many peoople go home to have a big dinner with their family. There are a lot of special foods served, such as fish and dumplings. They are symbolic of good luck. Children have luck money in red envelops from their parents. People also wear new clothes and hats to celebrate Chinese New Year.
