Why we called it Chinese New Year...ooh ooh, the "Nian" monster!

Date: 9^th January 2013

Day: Wednesday

Time: 4:30pm – 5:30pm

After a few days of discussion about snake, we go into the topic on Chinese New Year.

I asked a question: Why do we celebrate Chinese New Year?

Jia Jia: Fire cracker

Yi Han: “pok pok”

I recapped the question about as the children didn’t get to reply accordingly.

Teacher: Why don’t we call it Malay New Year? Or call it Indian New Year? Why must we call it Chinese New Year?

After a few thought, Jia Jia finally replied that because we are Chinese, so the festival is named that way.

Yes, this is a new year for the race of Chinese people. It’s a very important festival for the Chinese. It’s also the beginning of spring where all the plants and crops begin to grow back from the long winter. It is also a festival where all the family members will reunion again. Due to this, we also learn the term of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

The “Nian” Monster

This is a legend story about “Nian” monster and somehow related to some custom when we celebrate Chinese New Year. “Nian” monster used to stay in the hills and forest. It only feeds on animals. However, once it came near to the village and tasted human flesh and felt satisfied with the taste of it. So every year around the same time, the “Nian” monster will come out to hunt on human. The people were so scared but they learned the pattern of the “Nian” monster and asked help from the God. The God told the people that they could use red colour and fire to scare away the monster. Therefore, as the time for the visit of the “Nian” monster, all the villagers painted their door red and prepared the fireworks to scare away the monster. It successfully scared away the “Nian” monster. Everyone was so happy that every year they would do the same to keep the “Nian” monster away.