Lions, Dragons, and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year, otherwise known as the “Spring Festival”, ushers in a period of family celebration and community festivities and lasts for fifteen days. The date changes from year to year and is determined by the lunar calendar. It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice somewhere between late January and early February. The celebrations last for fifteen days, although in modern times most families celebrate for only five. It is the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar as well as the most joyous. Chinese New Year serves as a celebration of life’s renewal, heralding the coming springtime as a time of reunion for family and friends. 

There are many preparations in Chinese households leading up to the New Year that serve to clean the slate of the old year. They also promote fortune and prosperity for the family in the coming year. Pre-new year activities include a thorough cleaning of the house—especially doors and window openings—in order to remove the misfortunes of the previous year. Families take other purifying measures, such as purchasing new clothes, paying off old debts, and burning incense. Along with heralding the birth of a new year, everyone celebrates their communal birthday during this time—although they may also celebrate their individual birthdays during the course of the year as well.

New Years’ Eve traditions are very extensive with many colorful customs to invite prosperity. Tables are laid with many foods to promote an auspicious beginning to the coming year. These include golden circular fruits such as oranges and foods like dumplings (jiaozi) that signify hope of wealth and prosperity. Fish (yu) is served as a symbol of plenty. Sticky rice balls (yuanxiao) are served in sweet soup as symbol of family togetherness and happiness. Flower centerpieces are also used to decorate the house because they symbolize springtime and burgeoning new life.

Red is the favored color. It signifies happiness and is featured in clothing and wall hangings. Chun lian is a special Chinese couplet of good luck characters written in beautiful calligraphy on red paper and hung on the either side of the front door and sometimes across the top of the threshold as well. It is only placed there during the New Year’s festival, and like Christmas decorations it is removed once the holiday is over. The couplet brings an upbeat message of life and hope and better things to come.

The entire family, including children, is encouraged to remain awake though New Year’s Eve, playing games and having fun, feasting, and setting off fireworks. In the morning the children greet their parents and receive red envelopes of lucky money. Then the family goes door to door socializing with relatives and neighbors. During this time, transgressions are forgiven and gifts are exchanged. One must refrain from outbursts or speaking angry words, as the tone of the entire New Year is established during this time. The entire festival is marked by a spirit of joy, peace, and goodwill.  The festival officially concludes on the 15th day with the lantern festival. 

Though most of the New Year festivities are contained in the family home there are also communal celebrations. In many communities across the country there are communal parades which feature animals that are associated with the New Year: the lion: the dragon and the Nian. These creatures—real as well as mythical—have unique powers and characteristics that position them in the forefront of the festivities. The dragon is highly respected as the most powerful of all; the lion is touted as a symbol of joy and good luck; both are highlighted in the dance pantomimes performed in these parades. The Nian is a fearsome character from Chinese mythology with a frightening visage, which to the delight of the crowds, is frightened away by the lion and the splendid noisemaking instruments.

The New Year parade is a regular event in many communities that celebrate Chinese New Year. It often features a dragon dance as well as a lion dance. A New Year Dragon Parade may open the festivities as well as close the celebrations of the fifteen-day-long festival. It is led by the dragon, an animal revered in China for its magnificence and life-generating powers. The tradition of performing a dragon dance is thought to date back to the first century BCE. The dance was originally a ritual performed during a time of drought by groups of men of various ages to bring rain.

In the early 1900s, the Chinese who immigrated to America began to perform dragon and lion dances in New Year parades to bring good blessings and boost the spirit of the community. In California communities as well as across the United States, these dances have been a favorite spectacle in festival parades since the mid-twentieth century.

In the Chinese tradition, the dragon has a place of very high esteem and differs dramatically from those that appear in Western-world stories and sagas. Unlike its Western counterpart, a symbol of evil, a malevolent force to be vanquished and slain, the Chinese dragon is a benevolent creature exemplifying the life force and signifying good fortune.

In Western legends, dragons serve as an archetypal symbol of the underworld where the hero must confront the dark side of his/her nature. Once the hero slays the dragon—or makes peace with it during his/her underworld trials, the initiation is complete.

The Chinese dragons, however, are paid homage as celestial beings with royal bearing. They are invested with powers of regeneration that permeate the natural world and renew the cosmic order. Through their influence, the seasonal cycles of the natural world are maintained from year to year, or restored, if harmony is disturbed. As noted above, dragons are also known to be guardians of water and are invoked when rain is needed to replenish crops and when the flow of rivers needs to be controlled.

The role of the dragon in the traditional New Years parade is to drive away evil spirits that may be lurking abroad, to dispel negative energy left over from the previous year, and to usher in a year filled with good fortune and supreme happiness.. The dragon-figure costume is designed as a very long body of brilliantly-colored cloth in reds, golds, and greens. One person manipulates the head, and the body down to the tail is supported by many dancers who hold it up and control it’s gyrations with sticks or handles during the parade procession. It is said that once the dragon’s eyes are painted, the creature comes alive! Due the dragon’s size, the dancers are required to have a great deal of discipline and physical stamina. It is no surprise that, traditionally, the dancers were all men and highly trained martial artists though now in some parades women may serve as dancers.

Firecrackers are staples of the New Year celebrations. In ancient times, red bamboo was burned for this purpose. Later, gunpowder was used to fill the red bamboo reeds and exploded to create loud sounds. This noise has an important role at New Year because it dispels bad spirits thought to be especially active during liminal (or borderline) periods of time. Because dragons are believed to hibernate in the winter, firecrackers are also used to keep the dragon “awake”. Noisy firecrackers are an essential accompaniment to the lion, as well, during the New Year parade, creating his fierce roars that fend off the Nian monster.

Lions in the Chinese tradition bear very little resemblance to actual lions. These large cats are not native to China, and the ancient Chinese did not know what they actually looked like—they only learned about them from travelers’ descriptions. Chinese artists used their imaginations to form an image of this creature. In Chinese culture the lion took on mythical proportions and signifies good luck and happiness as well as courage and strength.

In the New Year’s parade the Lion dance is performed by two people In this dance, the lion mimics eating auspicious foods like oranges and red envelopes of lucky money, which the children “feed” him during the dance. The lion also may chase a ball or large “pearl” that represents the sun. There is loud music accompanying the pantomime made by musician using drums and gongs. Firecrackers are also set off during his dance. There is sometimes a mock battle of the lion fighting the Nian monster and vanquishing him. Traditionally the lion dance may also be performed to consecrate the opening of a building and at other civic commemorations.

The Nian is a particularly gruesome monster that according to Chinese myth emerges from its hidden lair under the sea or in the mountains during the New Year festival. As the legend goes, the Nian satisfies its ferocious appetite by devouring crops and consuming people. Once upon a time, a village was being attacked by the Nian, and the people did not know what to do. The village shaman-priest instructed them to build their own lion-monster to fend it off. Because the Nian is believed to be afraid of loud noise and terrified by the color red, the villagers made banging sounds with instruments and dishes and wore red clothing to scare him off.

It is interesting to note that the Mandarin Chinese word for “year” is Nian, and a greeting of “xin nian kuai le” (roughly translated as “Happy New Year”) is exchanged at this time. So, in essence, the performance of the lion dance and the scaring off the Nian are in effect a ritual representation of the passage of time. This custom finds a parallel in the Western noisemaking made at midnight on New Years Eve, which also signifies “out with the old and in with the new.”

Access and become familiar with the EDSITEment-reviewed websites listed in Activities 1-4. EDSITEment-reviewed Asia for Educators provides teachers with elementary-level resources into Chinese Culture and additional background into the lunar New Year rituals and legends. 

Download the Chinese Dragon graphic and make sufficient copies for your students. Do the same with the graphics of the parade dragon and other Year of the Dragon Colouring Pages available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2. Gather colored markers and sheets of white paper for a drawing activity. You'll also need brown paper bags (one for each student), glue, sequins, and fake fur for making a lion mask. Additional information for teachers about New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year  available at the EDSITEment-reviewed website Chinese New Year.

Supplementary materials for teachers can be found at Dragons in Ancient China including images and background on dragons in Chinese architecture, paintings, and culture. This site is available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet Public Library.  Dragons as Creatures of Power explores the mythic nature of dragons from different cultures including Asia available through the Field Museum of Natural History's Mythic Creatures's exhibit (along with a Resource guide for Educators.) Background and images of dragons as depicted in cermonial empress Dragon Robe called ch'i-fu, which translates as "festive dress" along with discussion questions provide students a unique view available at the World Myths & Legends website from the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  Information about the Chinese zodiac symbol for Dragon and other zodiac animal signs is available through the EDSITEment Lesson Plan for K-2 entitled Animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Activity 1. Introduction to Chinese New Year: What is a Chinese Dragon?

Introduction to Chinese New Year: What is a Chinese Dragon?

• Read aloud from one of the books noted in the Extending the Lesson section which discuss aspects of the Chinese New Year or direct students to link to one of the EDSITEment selected websites featuring Chinese New Year customs. Discuss the pictures as you go along. Explain to the students that they are going to learn more about the Chinese dragon and lion figures, as well as another mythical creature named Nian.
• Open a discussion by telling the students that the Chinese (Asian) dragon is very different from the western (European) dragon. Ask for volunteers to describe the western dragon they might have heard about in stories (a nasty creature, who eats humans, breathes fire, and flies with bat-like wings). Now look up descriptions of the Chinese dragon at Chinese Dragon Physical Appearance. Have different students read parts of the description aloud. (Omit the last three paragraphs, which are repeats.) Then access images of dragons at Dragons as Creatures of Power to compare dragons from different cultures including Asia available through the Field Museum of Natural History's Mythic Creatures's exhibit (along with a Resource guide for Educators) available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2. An optional activity is to make a Venn Diagram comparing the characteristics of the western and the Chinese dragon.
• Now go to Chinese Dragon Habitats, available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2. Have different students read the various descriptions aloud. Explain that throughout Chinese history most of the people have been farmers. Ask what is most important to a farmer's crops (sun and rain). Tell the students that in the main farming regions of China there is plenty of sun, but sometimes there is not enough rain. For this reason, farmers prayed to the dragons in hopes of having enough rain for their crops. Now read more about the role of the dragon to the students at Chinese Dragon Magic available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2.
• Hand out the pictures you previously downloaded and copied of a Chinese Dragon and make sufficient copies for your students. Do the same with the graphics of the parade dragon and other Year of the Dragon Colouring Pages available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2.
• Color a Chinese Dragon and/or other images from Chinese New Year celebrations. Tell them they may color their pictures while you read aloud a folk tale about dragons.
• Access "Four Dragons Folk Tales", available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2, and read it aloud. Ask if there are any questions about the appearance or function of the Chinese dragon before concluding the lesson.

Activity 2. A Monster Named Nian

Remind the students that one of the highlights of the Chinese New Year celebrations is a parade. Read them a story that helps explain some of the traditions associated with the parade. These relate to the Lion Dance where the Lion is called upon to defeat the Nian monster.

• Legend of the Spring Festival
• Surviving the Nian

Ask if there are any questions about the story. Remind the students that the word "nian" means year as well as the monster. Explain that on the eve of the Chinese New Year everyone is so anxious to get rid of the old year to make way for the new that they open all their doors and windows. Now ask who can tell the meaning of "Guo Nian" (Goo oh Nee ahn, celebrate or welcome the (new) year). Tell the students that Chinese people often eat special rice dumplings known as "nian guo" during the New Year celebrations.

The monster, Nian, was not physically described in the story. Ask for volunteers to describe him as they envision him. Hand out paper and markers to each student. Have them draw their personal impressions of what this monster looked like -- the scarier the better.

Activity 3. Dragons and the New Year Parade

Dragons and the New Year Parade

Depictions of an authentic Dragon dance in a New Year parade can be found at the following sites. You may want to use them to introduce this lesson.

• The Dragon Dance video clip

Since the New Year festival traditionally marks the beginning of the planting season in China, a major character is a dragon, bringer of rain and good luck. It is a huge puppet – the fierce-looking mask of bamboo or paper-maché worn by one man, and the long body of brightly colored cloth carried by the many dancers hidden beneath it. Spectators throw firecrackers at the dragon's feet, not only to frighten away evil spirits but also to keep the dragon awake. (Dragons hibernate during the winter.) Show the students the pictures and video clips of parade dragons and review background information.  View images of San Jose's Golden Parade Dragon and share video clip of this Golden dragon glittering in the sun as he chases the Pearl in a festival parade from the China Historical and Cultural Project. Comment upon the bright colors and dragon features. Point out that this dragon is carried aloft by professional dancers.

Go to San Francisco's Chinatown. In the box at the bottom click on "Chinese New Year Parade." This is a highly detailed photograph of a dragon mask. After looking at it and discussing it, click  to bring up a video of a dragon parading in San Francisco's Chinatown. Then view it with the students. Make sure everyone hears the firecrackers.

Choose between these activities. 1) Have each student write a short poem about the New Year parade. 2) Have the students color the picture of a parade dragon downloaded from Year of the Dragon Colouring Pages available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2. 

Activity 4. Chinese Lions and Lion Dancers

• Explain that the lion did not originally live in China. The local people heard about lions from travelers and tradespeople, and they formed their own ideas of what the creature looked like. This might lead to a discussion about how different people envision a given object described in many different ways. Allude to the variety of images the students produced of the Nian in Activity 2. Access Shi Shi Lion Coloring Page available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource ipl2. In what ways do these creatures look like lions? (Similarities include general body build, tuft of fur at the tip of the tail, a mane, and a fierce expression.) In what ways do they not? (The figures are stylized, with curling hair, human-like noses, and huge eyes.) Now go to authentic Chinese Lion Dance photographs available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Chinese Historical and Cultural Project.
• Discuss this picture in the same way as the previous one. Ask the students if they think the lions look scary and mean. (They certainly do!) Explain that actually these lion figures were considered helpful and protective, much like guard dogs. Pairs of lion statues (called "fu lions") are often placed at the entrance to Buddhist temples and other sacred places. Access the following images of a fu lion positioned in front of the Lama Temple in Beijing China serving as guardian.
  • Photograph of Fu Lion
  Now go to Lion Dancing, available through EDSITEment-reviewed ipl2. Read through the text with the students. Have them comment on the role of the lion in Chinese celebrations.
• Tell the students that the lion often appears in a Chinese New Year parade. Unlike the dragon, a lion consists of only two people, one wearing the head and the other the furry body. Say that the lion appears in the parade not only because it is considered a lucky and benevolent creature but also because of its connections with Nian.
• Access additional information through The Kingdom of Lions – The Chinese Lion Dance. Ask for questions and/or comments.
• Now go to Chinese New Year Lion Dance to see a drawing of lion dancers.
• Have students examine the mask of a lion used in a lion dance. Explain that the mask is made from strong but light materials, such as paper-mache and bamboo, and fits over a dancer's shoulders. He can move the lion's eyes, mouth and ears with his hands. The lion's body, which is attached to the head, consists of a long piece of cloth. It is often decorated with sequins and mock fur.
• Access this page featuring a video clip of an actual lion dance. As the lion dances in the parade, it is often accompanied by three musicians playing a large drum, cymbals, and a gong. The loud noises are intended to chase away any evil spirits. Remind the students of how, in one story, the loud noises scared away Nian.
• Ask students to consider how the lion dance is similar to the dragon dance. Then ask for differences. Access this video clip of an actual Dragon Dance.
• Tell the students they will make lion masks using paper bags, markers, feathers, and fake fur. When they are done, display them in a prominent place. Students can also make colorful signs with the words "Guo Nian!"

The entire class can work in groups on a large paper dragon. The head is made by painting a large paper bag. The body consists of a long roll of packaging (butcher) paper, which can be decorated with feathers, glitter, and/or markers. When the dragon is complete, have groups of students wear it through the halls of your school, to the accompaniment of drums or cymbals.

Additional Student Reading:

• The Runaway Rice Cake by Ying Chang Compestine and Tungwai Chau
• Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn, Cornelius Van Wright, and Ying-Hwa Hu
• Happy, Happy Chinese New Year! by Demi
• Long-Long’s New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring festival by Catherine Gower, He Zhihong
• Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
• The Dancing Dragon by Marcia K. Vaughan and Stanley Wong Hoo Foon,
• This Next New Year by Janet S. Wong and Yangsook Choi

Additional Teacher Resources:

• Chinese New Year Crafts (Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do!) by Karen E. Bledsoe
• Celebrating Chinese New Year: An Activity Book by Hingman Chan
• Celebrating the Chinese New Year by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith and Lawrence Migdale
• Holidays Around the World: Celebrating Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons and Lanterns by Carolyn Otto
• Chinese New Year For Kids by Cindy Roberts
• Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz
• Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals of China by Carol Stepanchuk and Charles Choy Wong

Selected EDSITEment Websites

• Asia for Educators
• The Lunar New Year: Rituals and Legends
• Asia Society
  • Celebrating the New Year in Asia
• Internet Public Library
  • Asian dragons
  • Chinese Dragon Dance
  • Chinese dragons
  • Chinese firecrackers
  • Chinese Lion
  • Chinese New Year
  • Chinese New Year by the Chinese calendar
  • Chinese New Year crafts
  • Chinese New Year Traditions
  • Flowers of the Chinese New Year
  • Four Dragon Folktales
  • Lion Dance
  • Lunar New Year
  • Red Envelopes
  • Surviving the Nian