Year of the Rabbit: A look into 2023 (4)

Illustration: Kou Jie/People's Daily Online

2023: A bright future ignited by fireworks

In celebration of the arrival of the New Year, families will head outdoors to set off fireworks and firecrackers at midnight, which, it is said, will scare away ghosts with their loud noise and vivid colors. The practice dates to ancient times when people set off fireworks to ward off the monster Nian (年).

At the start of each Chinese New Year, the monster Nian is said to break free from its confinement and feast on humans and other animals. Some descriptions compare it to a cross between a lion and an elephant, while others say it has a dog's body and a lion's sharp teeth. Since it has a weakness for intense noise, is afraid of fire, and shies away from the colour red, it is customary to set off fireworks and firecrackers during the Spring Festival.

It was in China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279), that the first fireworks were ever used. Many celebrations, mainly the Spring Festival, were accompanied by fireworks. Pyrotechnicians in ancient China were held in high regard for their expertise in producing spectacular fireworks shows.

Despite this, the Chinese have had experience with firecrackers even before the invention of fireworks. People in the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD) would throw bamboo stems into a fire to create a loud explosion. Later, to replicate the sounds of burning bamboo, gunpowder was placed into tiny canisters.

Hundreds of cities around China have banned fireworks in recent years because of the fire danger and noise pollution. Even though firework displays are still prevalent in suburban regions and smaller cities, many people opt for electronic fireworks as a greener and more technologically advanced method to ring in the New Year.