Someone having fun? I was looking into Chinese New year stuff and came across this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
There is also a saying that the beast is "Xi", rather than Nian. Spring Festival included New Yearโs Eve and New Year. Xi is a kind of faint monster, and Nian is not related to the animal beasts in terms of meaning, it is more like a mature harvest.