The legend of the Chinese New Year began in a small village thousands of years ago. Each winter a monster named Nian would enter the village and attack the villagers. The villagers were scared. They didn't know what to do. Afterwards a wise old man came up with an idea. The next time Nian appeared the people used fireworks and drums to make a lot of noises. Sure enough, these noises scared the monster away and it fled into the hills. The villagers celebrated the day when they freed themselves from the monster. Each year they would light the fireworks and celebrate their victory. This day became the start of the Chinese new year.
中国新年的传说源于数千年前的一个小村庄。每年冬天，一个叫“年”的怪兽都会进村子攻击村民。村民们十分害怕，不知该怎么办。后来，一位年长的智者想出了一个办法。当“年”再一次出现时，人们就用鞭炮（firework）和鼓制造大量噪音。这些噪音果然把“年”给吓跑了，“年”躲进了山里。村民们在这天庆祝他们摆脱了怪兽。每年他们都会点燃鞭炮庆祝他们的胜利。这一天便成了中国新年的开始。
