According to the "Shenyi Jing", in ancient times, people passed through the mountains and slept outdoors, and lit bonfires at night, firstly to cook and keep warm, and secondly to prevent wild beasts from invading. However, there is an animal in the mountains that is neither afraid of people nor fire. It is the Nian beast, which often attacks people and animals when people are not prepared.

In order to drive away the Nian beast, people thought of burning firecrackers in the fire and using the popping sound of bamboo to make it escape far away. The animal mentioned here is called "Shanxi". The ancients said that it can make people suffer from cold and fever. It is a ghost that can make people suffer from cold and fever diseases. It scares away the bad smell of the mountain, that is, it drives away the plague evil, so that it can bring good luck and peace. People get up early and set off firecrackers. According to legend, this is to drive away "mandrills".

The mandrill is said to be a ferocious one-horned ghost that lived in the mountains in ancient times. However, it is most afraid of noise, so people use the blasting sound of burning bamboo to scare it away. After gunpowder became available, people put gunpowder into bamboo tubes to make firecrackers, and then made paper tubes, also called firecrackers or firecrackers. In modern times, people no longer believe in "mandrills", but they are still used to setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival to celebrate the festival and cheer up their spirits. Therefore, from the evening of New Year's Eve to the early morning of New Year's Day, the sound of firecrackers is always continuous.

Customs related to New Year’s Eve

Eating New Year’s Eve dinner and setting off firecrackers are common customs. Traditionally, new Spring Festival couplets are affixed to the door in the middle and afternoon of New Year's Eve.

New Year’s Eve dinner, also known as family reunion dinner. Because it is winter, northerners often set up a hot pot in the middle of the dining table, so it is also called a stove. The dishes of northerners’ New Year’s Eve dinner often include dumplings, fish, rice cakes, and rice cakes. New Year dishes etc.

Because the dumplings are shaped like gold ingots, which means wealth; the fish dish cannot be finished, because in Chinese, "fish" and "yu" have the same pronunciation, which has the auspicious meaning of "more than every year"; Rice cakes mean "prosperity every year"; eating perennial vegetables means longevity. In South China, there are many chickens, roasted pork, nostoc, oysters, etc., because "notai, oysters" and "rich and good market" are homophonic.

Due to changes in social patterns in recent years, some families no longer prepare New Year’s Eve dinner by themselves, but instead order take-out New Year’s dishes or eat New Year’s Eve dinner in hotels or restaurants as a family.

For the above content, refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Set off Firecrackers