The document provides an introduction and legend about the Chinese Spring Festival. The introduction explains that the Spring Festival marks the beginning of the lunar new year and is celebrated with activities focused on worship, offerings, renewal and blessings. The legend describes how an old beggar helped drive away a ferocious horned monster called Nian that terrorized villages on New Year's Eve by using symbols like red paper and firecrackers, becoming a protector and bringing good fortune. Now the festival involves traditions like hanging red lanterns, lighting firecrackers, visiting family and exchanging gifts.

1. SPRING FESTIVAL
A Presentation On Chinese New Year

2. 春节的介绍
• 春节古称“元旦”“正旦”等，是中国传统阴
历纪年中的一年之始，是一年中最早的节日。
在春节期间，我国的汉族和很多少数民族都要
举行各种活动以示庆祝。这些活动均以祭祀神
佛、祭奠祖先、除旧布新、迎禧接福、祈求丰
年为主要内容，活动丰富多彩，带有浓郁的民
族特色。
• The Spring Festival, also known as New Year’s
day marks the beginning of the year. During
this festival many ethnic groups of China hold
various activities to celebrate the festival.
Introduction to Spring
Festival
• 现如今，春节是中国民间最隆重最富有特色
的传统节日，也是最热闹的一个古老节日。
一般指除夕和初一，是一年的第一天,又叫
阴历年，俗称“过年”。
• The Spring Festival is one of the busiest and
historical festivals of the Chinese folk.

3. Legend
Of
The Spring
Festival
According to one of the
most famous legends, in
ancient China, there lived
a horned monster named
Nian who was extremely
ferocious.

4. Nian lived deep at the bottom of the sea all the year
round and climbed up to the shore only on New Year's
Eve to devour the cattle and kill people.
Thereupon on the day of every New Year's Eve people
from all villages would flee, bringing along the old and
the young, to the remote mountains so as to avoid
the calamity caused by the monster.

5. One New Year's Eve, the people of Peach
Blossom village were getting ready to hide
when there came from outside the village an
old beggar.
Seized with panic, the villagers were in a
great hurry to run away.
At a time when the people were shouting
and the horses were neighing no one was in
the mood to care for the beggar.

6. Only a grandmother living in
the east end of the village
gave the old man some food
and advised him to flee to the
mountains to avoid the
monster.
If you allow me to
stay at your home
for the night, I'm
sure to drive away
the monster Nian.
The old woman was surprised to
hear this. She went on to persuade
him to take flight. But he only smiled
without reply. Thereupon the
grandmother could not help but
leave her home and flee to the
mountains.

7. Around midnight the
monster Nian rushed into
the villages. The house of
the grandmother in the
east end of the village was
brilliantly illuminated, with
bright red paper stuck on
the doors.
The monster Nian stared
angrily at the house for a
moment then, howling
furiously, made a charge at
it.

8. As he approached the door, there suddenly came the
sounds of explosions. Trembling all over, the monster
dared not take a step forward.
When the door of the
grandmother's house was
thrown open and an old man
in a robe burst out laughing
in the courtyard, the monster
Nian was scared out of his wits
and fled helter-skelter.

9. The next day was the 1st of the first lunar
month. When people came back from their
hideouts and found everything safe and
sound, they were quite surprised.
The old woman
suddenly realized what
had happened and told
the villagers about the
old beggar's promise.

10. They concluded in the end that the
old beggar was surely the celestial
being who came to expel the
calamities and bless the people.
• Red Paper
• Red Cloth
• Red Candles
• The Exploding
Firecracker

11. • Antithetical Couplets • Firecrackers
• Brilliantly Illuminated Houses • Meet relatives and friends