Long ago in China there was a man-eating monster called Nian who for most of the time slept at the bottom of the ocean. However at the end of winter, on the last day of the lunar year, the hungry Nian would terrify everyone when he woke up to come on land to eat whatever he could find.

Nothing the people could do would stop Nian returning year after year. Many died trying to defeat the dreadful beast.

The only way the villagers could survive was to flee to the safety of the mountains every New Year’s Eve.

One year when everyone was hurriedly packing up to leave, a traveller arrived in the village looking for food and a place to stay. Just as he was thinking no one would help him, an old lady kindly offered him food and shelter. The traveller was so thankful for her generosity that he decided to share with her the secret of how to keep safe from Nian.

When Nian arrived in the village that evening all but the old woman’s house was in darkness. His mouth was watering as he approached her house at the thought of the tasty meal waiting for him inside.

Just as the monster arrived at her door he was frightened by deafening firecrackers that seemed to be exploding endlessly. He was fearful of the firelight inside the house and the red paper which the old woman had hung up. He ran back to the ocean in terror.

On their return to the village the villagers couldn’t understand how the old lady had survived. They asked her how it was that she had not been attacked by Nian. She explained that Nian was afraid of loud noises, light and the colour red.

From then on, each New Year’s Eve, the villagers wore red clothes and let off firecrackers making as much noise as possible. They decorated their homes with red paper and lit lanterns. Happily, they never saw Nian again.