It is an occasion for great celebration, especially in the Far East, to remember the dead and pay respect to relatives who are no longer with us. Although it is often called Chinese New Year, it is celebrated with several days of holidays in South Korea, for example. Families set up small altars in their homes for their deceased fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and offer them various delicacies and liquors. Then they also symbolically bond with them. In order to allow the souls of the deceased to reach such a feast without any problem, the doors of the dwellings are left open, with temple shrines also having special holes in the ceilings. The souls then return to the afterlife through this route.
There are many legends surrounding the lunar year. Perhaps the most famous is the story of the Nian, an underwater animal with pointed teeth and horns. It was on New Year's Eve that this monster would appear on Earth and harass the villagers. They always hid in fear, until one day a wise old man came to the village and chased the monster away with red flags that he hung in the doors of the houses. He gave the people red clothes and set off many noisy fireworks. Hence the tradition of fireworks, which chase away all the bad and bring only the good into the coming year. Red is, among other things, the symbol of money in China, for example, and banknotes are symbolically presented in envelopes of this colour for the New Year. They are meant to bring abundance and well-being throughout the year. The confectionery - mooncakes - are also meant to help. People also don't wash or cut their hair on the first few days because the Chinese character for hair is the first letter of the word prosperity.
And what does the Wooden Dragon bring us?
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