For many countries, including the United States, the new year always begins on January 1st, the first day of the first month. The date of this holiday is according to the Gregorian calendar, which is the most commonly used civil calendar in the entire world. However, not everyone celebrates the same days the United States do. China operates by the Lunar calendar, so therefore, their “new year” begins on a different day. This year, Chinese New Year began on February 5th. Unlike our holiday, which consists of only one day of celebrating, the Chinese New Year celebration usually lasts up to two weeks.

The celebration consists of many traditions, one of which includes dressing and decorating in the color red. While these traditions may seem a little random, they all have some story or reasoning behind them that leads back to old beliefs.

One example is why everyone celebrates in red. The reason is that the color red is believed to bring good luck and protection. According to Chinese legend, there once was a horrible monster named Nian. This vicious beast lived in the ocean, but came up once every new year to feast on the villagers and destroy their homes. In order to avoid Nian, the villagers would flee to the mountains when this time came. Though they were safe, their homes and crops would be demolished. However, one year a mysterious stranger came to the village, claiming that he could scare away the beast. The night before the new year, he decorated every home in red paper and red cloth. He also set up firecrackers and other sources of loud noises. When Nian finally arrived, he immediately cowered back from the bright colors and sudden burst of sparks. Ever since that day, the Chinese have decorated their homes with red in order to protect themselves from the vicious monster.