You’ll know instantly that Chinese New Year is around the corner when you see this colour pop up all over the place.

Why is red such a vital part of the Chinese New Year celebration, though?

We attempt to explore the matter.

A monster repellent

Most theories on the significance of the colour red for CNY stem from the legend of a gruesome monster called Nian.

According to the myth, Nian, a creature with a body of an ox and the head of a lion, would terrorise villagers every Chinese New Year’s eve.

The hangry monster would visit the village and devour livestock, crops and even some villagers to alleviate its hunger! Woah!

To appease the beast, terrified villagers would lay out food in front of their doors in hopes that Nian would just leave them alone.

Image credit: thatsqingdao.com

One Chinese New Year's eve, villagers noticed that Nian became afraid of a child dressed in red. They also discovered that the monster feared loud noises and fire.

And so, they finally found a way to rid themselves of the creature. Armed with red from head to toe and lighting bamboo on fire (bamboo makes crackling noises when lit on fire), they managed to scare Nian away.

Since then, the colour red and loud noises i.e. firecrackers and everything ang have become an integral part of the Chinese New Year festivities.

A bloody theory

Attempting to find a not so legend-linked connection between red and Chinese New Year, Gateway To Chinese Culture by Asiapac Editorial reasons that red is important for the celebration because it is linked to blood.

Huh?

Well, according to the editorial, more than 18,000 years ago, cavemen discovered that the blood that ran through our bodies was red.

They also came to understand that excessive loss of blood could lead to death and so they revered the colour.

Image credit: thoughtqo.com

Anything red was held sacred. Even when someone close to them died, the cavemen would scatter red minerals on the corpse in hopes that the person would live again.

Of course, that did not happen lah.

Anyway, it is believed that the association of red with life is the reason why the colour is so prominent during celebrations and events by the Chinese community.

Quite an interesting connection.

A powerful colour

Another reason why red is such a central colour during Chinese New Year could be linked to what the colour itself represents.

The Chinese Five Elements Theory, a theory used in Feng Shui, states that five elements - water, fire, wood, metal and earth - exist in the world.

Linked to the elements, The Story Of Colour: An Exploration Of The Hidden Messages Of The Spectrum by Gavin Evans, explains that red or vermilion is associated with the fire element and symbolizes good fortune, joy, happiness, light, fertility as well as vitality.

So basically red = all things good and positive.

This is why a lot of the decorations including lanterns, paper hangings, signs with auspicious words and those little packets of joy a.k.a. ang pow are often red in colour.

Image credit: learnchineseeasily.com

Additionally, red is also said to hold protective properties. In some parts of China, red marks are made on the foreheads of babies to protect them from evil spirits.

Little red sacks are also sometimes sewn onto the clothes of timid children to protect them from evil visions.

More familiar to us in Malaysia, red is also traditionally worn by Chinese brides and their families for protection against evil as well.

Not only associated with Chinese New Year

Image credit: Asia Wedding Network

Other than emerging during CNY, red is also linked to many other aspects related to the Chinese community.

According to A Study on the Metaphor of “Red” in Chinese Culture by Huang Qiang, red or hong is also linked to praises, celebrations and is used as a form of respect in China.

For example, hong pi (red wrap) is a red band usually placed over the shoulders of a hero or a respected person as a token of honour.

Hong tie (red card) is an invitation to a happy event such as a wedding or birthday.

In China, when you say hong yan (red face) to a woman, it is actually a compliment and it means that she is pretty.

Of course not everything positive is linked to the colour red la. There are some taboos associated to it as well.

For example, red should never be worn during funerals because it's more of a celebratory colour.

Red ink should also never be used to write a person's name. This is because the colour is usually used to write the names of the dead. Eeek!

Understanding its significance

Image credit: Malay Mail

So, people. Even if you don't strictly adhere to traditional customs, cultures and taboos related to the colour red, at least you know a little bit more about why it's such an integral part of Chinese New Year and Chinese culture.

Also, learning about the connections could give you a different understanding as to why Popo is so insistent that you dress from head to toe (undies included) in red during the festivities. ?