Modern folk custom on the Spring Festival also known as the Chinese New Year's day. In fact, the origin of the year and the Spring Festival is different.
So "in" how to? There are two main types of folk parlance: a said that in ancient times, there is a fierce monster called "nian", every month, 20, conjure up from village, foraging human flesh, kill. A lunar month of 30 in the evening, "year" in a village, just have two children in the bull whip. "Year" suddenly heard air ring snapped BianSheng, frighten the run. He went to another village and took a look at the door with a bright red dress, it does not know what clothes is, frighten hurriedly turned away. Later it came to a village, in a family home in a look, see bright lights inside, a little dizzy, it had to slip, with tail again. People thus razor or the "year" is afraid, afraid of red, afraid of light weaknesses, then think of many methods against it, then gradually evolved into today's Chinese New Year customs.
Another argument is that the evidences in ancient China, put the word "year" wo department, with grain, good good harvest. As GuHe is generally a cooked in a year. So "nian" was extended to the old name.
现代民间习惯上把春节又叫做过年。其实，年和春节的起源是不同的。
那么“年”究竟是怎么来的呢?民间主要有两种说法：一种说的是，古时候，有一种叫做“年”的凶猛怪物，每到腊月二十，变出窜村挨户，觅食人肉，残杀生灵。有一个腊月三十的晚上，“年”到了一个村庄，正好有两个孩子在比赛牛鞭子。“年”突然听到半空中响起了啪啪的鞭声，吓得望风而逃。他窜到另一个村庄，又迎头望到了一家门口晒着一件大红衣服，它不知道衣服是什么东西，吓得赶紧掉头逃跑。后来它又到了一个村庄，朝一户人家门里一瞧，只见里面灯火辉煌，刺得它头昏眼花，只好又夹着尾巴溜了。人们由此摸准了“年”有怕响、怕红，怕光的弱点，便想到许多抵御它的方法，于是逐渐演化成今天过年的风俗。
另一种说法是，我国古代的字书把“年”字放在禾部，以禾风调雨顺，五谷丰登。由于谷禾一般都是一年一熟。所以“年”便被引申为岁名了。