What does Nian Beast mean?

Nian beast means: it is an evil beast in ancient Han myths and legends.

It is an evil beast in ancient Han myths and legends. According to legend, in ancient times, at the end of the year and midnight, Nian beast would attack villages, and all the villages occupied by Nian beast were brutally slaughtered, and the horns on their heads were weapons. People take advantage of the three weaknesses of Nian beast, set off firecrackers (which will scare Nian beast), put up Spring Festival couplets and drive Nian beast away. In order to prevent the Nian beast from harassing again, setting off firecrackers and posting Spring Festival couplets have gradually become holiday customs, and the Spring Festival has therefore become one of the symbols of the Chinese nation.

Legend:

A long time ago, there was a monster named "Xi" who came out to hurt people every year, and even the kitchen god could do nothing to protect the people, so the kitchen god invited a prodigy named "Nian" to heaven.

The prodigy is very powerful. He wiped out the evening beast with the crackling red silk bamboo pole in the fire. This day happens to be the last day of the twelfth lunar month. In order to thank and commemorate the New Year, people get rid of dusk on this day, so they call the last day of the lunar calendar "New Year's Eve" and the first day of the New Year's Day "New Year's Eve".

People hope that every household has red silk and firecrackers, so the red silk and bamboo poles burned in the fire gradually evolved into red couplets and firecrackers that every household has in the New Year. This legend about Nian can be said to be clear and orderly.

Evolution process:

As early as in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the word "Nian" appeared, and Oracle Bone Inscriptions's "Nian" means grain maturity. Yu's Forest of Steles in Oracle Bone Inscriptions pointed out: "A year is calculated by the maturity of all grains in a year."

"Gu Liang Chuan Huan Gong Three Years": "One year, all the grains are ripe for one year." Because it takes a period for the grain to mature, the years have gradually evolved into time units, which can be seen in the Book of Songs, "I don't see you for three years."

"Erya Shi Tian" also records: "Yes, I am also old. Sui, Si, Nian, Tang Zai. " Guo Pu explained it this way: years old, "take the year star once; Sacrifice, take four seasons and one end; One year, take a mature grain; Load, take things and finally start again. " Let's take a detailed interpretation of the evolution of that year. The origin of nian is clearly recorded in ancient books, but it has nothing to do with "beast".

According to Zhu Chunxiang's textual research, the earliest formulation of "Year of the Beast" appeared in an article in 1933 "Memories of Old Customs in Shanghai", saying, "Every time a painter draws a stone pillar, the pillar is locked like a dog, or the cloud is a dog star, or the cloud is the year of the beast, he often wants to eat people.

1959 Xinmin evening news published a story of nian, which described in detail the appearance of nian beast: nian has two heads, four ears and eight legs, and specializes in eating people for a living. But Nian is lazy. He sleeps in a daze all year round. It was not until New Year's Eve that he climbed out of the dark cave to look for his victims. Nian is afraid of sunshine, doesn't like red, and especially hates noisy sounds.

It can be seen that the so-called Nian beast did not exist in ancient times, but was just a recent folk interpretation.

Even if it is a legend, it must have its prototype. But according to the existing description, there is really no animal that matches Nian beast in reality. Then, Nian beast may be the synthesis of animals that many people are afraid of.