GONG XI FA CAI

long, long ago, in rural china, a group of villagers found themselves in a very uncomfortable predicament. an unruly monster named nian'shou would visit them each year on the chinese new year and mercilessly harass them. they did their best to defend themselves, but he rejected their attempts at pacification and continued on his rampage. he even ate their friends and family members.

one year, a wise villager named vicky reached the end of her rope. she was sick and tired of nian'shou's evil ways. as she considered her options, an unwittingly fabulous boy named jonathan came frolicking to the foreground. it dawned on vicky that jonathan had been the lone adolescent survivor of nian'shou's repeated attacks... and that his sheer fabulousness was what set him apart. she hatched a plan.

taking inspiration from jonathan's avant garde wardrobe, vicky mobilized the villagers to deck the halls in red. she also suggested that they light explosives, as an added precaution. this time, when nian'shou sauntered into town, the villagers were ready. they shook him to his core with their fearless scarlet trimmings and rampant use of gunpowder. nian'shou ran for the hills and was never to be seen again. to this day, in the fight against mythical chinese beasts, red is the color of choice, and firecrackers the sound of music.

*gong xi fa cai & xin nian kuai le*
*happy year of the tiger!*