Nian Article Index for
Nian
Articles about
Nian
 

Information About

Nian




In , and the Lion Dance with loud drums and gongs was to scare the beast away...


NIAN ( BEAST )

The Nian would come to China and eat up people it saw, but in some stories, an immortal was said to have made use of Nian's powers (eating up venomous Snakes and killing wild beasts like Tigers and Lions ) before taming it (by flashing his red undergarment to scare Nian, who feared the colour red). Since then, people put up red spring couplets to prevent Nian from coming back.

During Chinese New Year, there are two kinds of lion dances. The northern lion Rui Shi (Traditional: 瑞獅, Simplified: 瑞狮, . The southern lions, mainly Cantonese, have a single horn at the top center of their heads. The Cantonese lions fit the description of a Nian, but they are not the same as the northern lions. Some legends said the Cantonese lion dance is a reenactment of how Bu Dai (known as Hotei in Japanese) tamed the Nian.


SEE ALSO

  • Imperial Guardian Lions (also known as a ''Fu Dogs'') for the use of the lion image stylized statuary at entrances to important places. Note that Nian (horned) and the guardian lion (hornless) are different creatures.

  • Pixiu similar beast but with wings.

  • Qilin combining elements of fish, lion, deer, and ox.



IMAGE GALLERY

in the lion, unicorn, and ox style (Ming)]]
Sacred Walk]]




EXTERNAL LINKS