Photo of a Chinese dancer at a Chinese New Year celebration in Maryland (2008).

Chinese New Year
Excerpt from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

According to legend, in ancient China, the Nián (?) was a man-eating beast from the mountains (in other versions from under the sea), which came out every 12 months somewhere close to winter to prey on humans. The people later believed that the Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the colour red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the colour red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Guò nián (simplified Chinese: ??; traditional Chinese: ??), which means to celebrate the new year, literally means the passover of the Nian.

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Keywords:
Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year, chinese dancing, chinese dance, dancers, dances, festival, celebration, festivities, festivals, celebrations, culture, cultures, anthropology, cultural, Chinese-American, Chinese-Americans, Chinatown, Maryland, Montgomery County, Germantown, documentary photography, editorial, press photography, news, chinese arts, east asia, china, taiwan

Ref: 2008_0259

Location: Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg, MD

Photographer: Irene Abdou