New Year's Eve, or the last night of the year in Chinese lunarcalendar, is called Chuxi.
New Year's Eve,in the literal sense in Chinese,means seeing off the old year and ushering in a new year. It symbolizes the end of the old year and the beginning of a new year. Chu means 'remove', and Xi means 'night'. Because the day often falls on thelunar twelfth month 29 or 30, it is also known as Chinese New Year's Eve.
Legend has it that in ancient times,there was a monster called "Nian" that would come to the world on the last dayof each year. In order to drive away the monster, people learned to set off fireworks and put on offerings to worship their ancestors and pray. Overtime, these customs gradually evolved into New Year's Eve celebrations.
