Chinese New Year 2024 Year of the Dragon According to legend, Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian (a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains) during the annual Spring Festival. One year, the villagers decided to hide from the beast. An older man appeared before the villagers and said that he would stay the night and get revenge on the Nian. The old man put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The next day, the villagers returned and saw that nothing had been destroyed. They assumed that the old man was a deity who came to save them. The villagers learned that the old man discovered that the Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises. The tradition grew as New Year approached. The villagers wore red clothes, hung red lanterns and red scrolls on windows and doors. They…