It is a tradition for the Chinese people to stay up on the lunar New Year’s Eve. The tradition begins with an extended dinner of celebration, which may last from dusk to midnight. By staying up on the lunar New Year’s Eve, people review the past and look forward to the coming New Year.

An ancient famous poem “The Vigil” says, “I stay up at the invitation of my cousin in his home and the room is ablaze with red candlelight. I’ve wasted 36 years of tide. From this night on I will treasure my time”. Staying up on the lunar New Year’s Eve is also called “surviving the Nian (year)”. In the ancient and chaotic period, there was a ferocious beast called “Nian”. On each lunar New Year’s Eve, the beast came out of the sea, destroyed fields and gardens, devoured human beings and animals. It wreaked great havoc among the people who had worked diligently for the whole year. In order to avoid encounter with the beast, people closed the door before dusk and stayed up on the lunar New Year’s Eve.