Staying Up Late Into the New Year 熬年守岁

守岁，就是在旧年的最后一天夜里不睡觉，熬夜迎接新一年的到来的习俗，也叫除夕守岁，俗名“熬年”。探究这个习俗的来历，在民间流传着一个有趣的故事：
On the eve of Chinese New Year, Chinese people have a tradition to stay up into the wee hours of the first day of Chinese New Year, also known as Ao Nian (staying up late into the New Year). This tradition is wrapped in an interesting legend.
太古时期，有一种凶猛的怪兽，散居在深山密林中，人们管它们叫“年”。它的形貌狰狞，生性凶残，专食飞禽走兽，一天换一种口味，从磕头虫一直吃到大活人，让人谈“年”色变。后来，人们慢慢掌握了“年”的活动规律，它是每隔三百六十五天窜到人群聚居的地方尝一次口鲜，而且出没的时间都是在天黑以后，等到鸡鸣破晓，它们便返回山林中去了。
A long time ago, there were ferocious creatures in the deep forests called Nian. The creature ate every living animal in sight. They ate different animals everyday, and even ate humans. People were terrified of Nian. But they also noticed that Nian only came out to attack humans once every 365 days. Each time, Nian emerged at night and returned to the forests after the dawn.
算准了“年”肆虐的日期，百姓们便把这可怕的一夜视为关口来煞，称作“年关”，并且想出了一整套过年关的办法：每到这一天晚上，每家每户都提前做好晚饭，熄火净灶，再把鸡圈牛栏全部拴牢，把宅院的前后门都封住，躲在屋里吃“年夜饭”，由于这顿晚餐具有凶吉未卜的意味，所以置办得很丰盛，除了要全家老小围在一起用餐表示和睦团圆外，还须在吃饭前先供祭祖先，祈求祖先的神灵保佑，平安地度过这一夜，吃过晚饭后，谁都不敢睡觉，挤坐在一起闲聊壮胆，人们点起蜡烛或油灯，通宵守夜，象征着把一切邪瘟病疫照跑驱走，期待着新的一年吉祥如意。这种风俗被人们流传至今。
Counting on the date of Nian coming out, people called this night as Nian Guan, a critical moment to defeat Nian. At this night, people prepared for a big meal in advance, and then flamed out and cleaned the kitchen. After closed both front and back doors and fixed the stalls, the family could have dinner at home. Many dishes were prepared for this dinner with family members sat around the table, representing the family unio. Before having the dinner, people worshiped ancestors and gods to pray for the safety. After dinner, people dare not to sleep and sat together to embolden each other. People lighted candles or oil lamps to stay up late, representing warding off all illnesses and devils. This tradition has been passed down from then on.