Chinese New Year celebrations originated from China. According to legend, the villagers were attacked and killed by the wild beast, Nien, which appeared at the end of each year.

To scare the beast away, the villages came up with the idea to light up their houses brightly accompanied by loud noises. Their plan succeeded in chasing the beast away and thus, the villagers began to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Houses are brightly lit and firecrackers are lighted up at the stroke of the hour believed to be the best time to receive the new year. The eve of Chinese New Year is a meaningful day for the family as the New Year’s Eve meal is considered the most important dinner of the year.

Families gather together for the dinner, exchange news and greetings, enjoy the merriment of Chinese New Year before they light up the firecrackers to greet the new year. This tradition is practised by the Chinese community all over the world.