The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the Beginning of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature). Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are hanging around. All agree, however, that the word Nian, which in modern Chinese solely means "year", was originally the name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year.
    春节始于中国农历,其起源因太古老,而无法考究.其中有一种说法是"年"原来是一种怪兽的名字.
 

    One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were very scared. One day, an old man came to their rescue, offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear say that you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, it did swallow many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.
     传说年有一张大嘴,一口能吞下很多人.人们很害怕.一天,一个老人来了,答应制伏年兽.老头跟年兽说:我听说你很有两下子,可是你能吃了其他那些凶残的野兽吗?于是年兽就把很多其他野兽吃了,但也吃了不少家畜.