Story about Nian Beast (within 200-300 words)

In ancient times, there was a fierce monster; Scattered in the mountains, people call it "Year". "Nian" is horrible in appearance and ferocious in nature, and specializes in eating birds, animals and insects.

Change a taste every day, from kowtowing insects to living people, which makes people talk about "Nian". Slowly, people mastered the activity law of "Year". It turns out that Nian will go to a crowded place to taste fresh food every 365 days (or 366 days, that is, a year). It appears after dark, and when the rooster crows at dawn, they return to the mountains.

Men and women regard this terrible night as a barrier, called "the end of the year"; And came up with a whole set of "New Year" methods: on this night, every household cooked dinner in advance, turned off the fire, cleaned the stove, and then tied all the chicken coops and cowsheds; Then close the door and hide from the "New Year's Eve"-because this dinner has ominous meaning;

So, it's rich. In addition to having a meal with the whole family to show harmony and reunion, it is also necessary to sacrifice to the ancestors before eating. Pray for the ancestors' gods to bless them to spend the night safely. After dinner, no one dared to sleep, so they sat together and got up the courage to chat. It's getting dark, and I escaped from the deep forest in and touched the village where people live together. I saw every household's door closed, sesame stalks piled in front of it, but there was no one in the street.

After turning for more than half a night, I found nothing, so I had to chew sesame stalks to satisfy my hunger. After a while, the rooster crowed, and these cruel and stupid monsters had to go home disgruntled. People who have survived the "Year Pass" are very happy. They want to thank the ancestors of heaven and earth, congratulate each other for not being eaten by the "Nian beast", and open the door to set off firecrackers to welcome their neighbors and relatives to congratulate them.

After many years, nothing happened, and people relaxed their vigilance against Nian beast. On the evening of 30th one year, Nian beast suddenly fled to a village in the south of the Yangtze River. A village was almost eaten up by Nian beast, and only a pair of newly-married couples in red curtains were safe and sound. There are also a few naive people who lit a pile of bamboo to play in the yard. The fire was red and the bamboo exploded when it burned.

Nian beast turned here, and when he saw the fire, he turned around and fled. From then on, people know that Nian beast is afraid of red, light and noise, year after year until the end of the year; Every household sticks red paper, wears red robes, hangs red lights, beats gongs and drums, and sets off firecrackers, so that Nian Beasts dare not come again.

In The Book of Songs Xiaoya Tingliao, there is a record of "the light of Tingliao". The so-called "pavilion" is a torch made of bamboo poles and the like. After the bamboo pole burns, the air in the bamboo joint expands, and the bamboo cavity bursts, making a crackling sound, which is the origin of "firecrackers".

However, villagers in some places don't know that Nian beast is afraid of red and is often eaten by Nian beast. This story was later spread to the sky of Wei Zi Xing Jun. In order to save people, he is determined to destroy Nian beast. One year the beast came out, knocked it down with a fireball and chained it to a stone pillar with a thick chain. Since then, "Nian" has been surrendered by people and has become a beneficial animal for the safety of towns and houses.

Every New Year, people always burn incense, thanking Ziwei Xingjun for bringing peace to the lower world.