The History of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is of vital important in the cultural tradition of China.  The occasion is also called as the Lunar New Year by some people outside China. Traditionally the festival begins the first day of the first Lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

The origins of the Chinese New Year celebrations were born out of fear and myth. Legend spoke of the wild beast Nien (which also is the word for "year") who appeared at the end of each year, attacking and killing villagers. To scare the beast away, loud noises and bright lights were used and thus the Chinese New Year celebrations were born.