Fuddland

According to legend, a terrible monster called Nian came on the first day of every year, to devour livestock, crops, and the odd village child or three. To appease the beast, people laid food outside their doorways in the hope that it wouldn’t go on to dine on the occupants inside. But it was a hungry fellow and the losses continued.

Later it was found that Nian was somewhat scared of the colour red, so people dressed in red; decorated their homes and streets with red scrolls and lanterns; gave their children red envelopes with money inside [quite luckily for the children, the only paper money that is red in colour is coincidentally the highest in denomination, the 100RMB note]. This went some way to ward off Nian, but still he came.

But then the Achilles’ heel was discovered with the advent of gunpowder: fireworks and firecrackers. The bangs and pops and whizzes and booms and ka-bloooies scared the behemoth far away. The people joyfully rejoiced.

This tradition of making the skies thick with smoke and causing so much din and clatter as to yield ordinary conversation next to impossible, night and day, for two weeks straight, has prevailed every Chinese New Year for hundreds of years.

But I think this Nian chap has probably gone now. Could you maybe stop with all the noise? Thanks.

#1

srh | 2009 / 01 / 30 – 18:04

Are you in danger of turning into a Grumpy Old Man? ;)

#2

David | 2009 / 01 / 30 – 19:31

Re #1: Not in the least. It happened ages ago. :P

#3

Kav | 2009 / 02 / 05 – 09:46

I believe that the BBC show was named after him.

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