The Chinese New Year
Hanging a red banner on the doorpost of your home is a common practice during the Chinese New Year. One day, it struck me that I might have read the origin story of this tradition somewhere, so I snapped the picture on the left and went home to do some historical digging.
It's Chinese New Year, and here's why we celebrate it!
Hanging a red banner on the doorpost of your home is a common practice during the Chinese New Year. One day, it struck me that I might have read the origin story of this tradition somewhere, so I snapped the picture on the left and went home to do some historical digging.
In Chinese, the New Year is called Guo Nian. Guo is translated passover and Nian was an ancient monster in Chinese lore who came to terrorize villagers...until an old man came and told them the beast was afraid of the color red and to hang red signs on every door! Thus, they were saved from the monster Nian, and Passover has since been celebrated every year as the Chinese New Year!
That story sounded familiar and I found its parallel in the book of Exodus in the Bible where Moses (the old man) says, "The whole community of Israel... are to take some of the blood (of a lamb or young goat) and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses...But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time."
These 2 origin stories of the Jewish and Chinese Passover are foreshadows, signposts for humanity, left through the ages by the Creator that point to and culminate in the ultimate passover - Jesus the Passover Lamb who shed His blood on the cross to save the world from sin and its just consequence - eternal death in hell. But whoever chooses to believe (just as those who believed and by faith applied the blood/banner in ancient Israel/China) in Jesus' blood is saved from condemnation to eternal death in hell, has their name written into the Lamb's Book of Life, given a new life as a child of God and an entrance into eternal life with God in heaven.
Posted by Jason Tay (Singapore, 2016)
