“Tong Tong Chiang, Tong Tong Chiang, Tong Tong Chiang Tong Tong, Tong Tong Chiang.” Whenever this Chinese song 恭喜发财 is played on the radio, you know that we are going to celebrate Chinese New Year soon!

Going back to ancient Chinese New Year history, the nian monster would come out of its hiding place to feed on people and animals. To prevent this from happening, the villagers used firecrackers and fireworks to scare the monster away. They also believe that firecrackers and fireworks are used to drive away evil.