It was said that on the first new moon of the year the dreaded 年獸 Nian was said to visit villages all across China. The 年獸 Nian is a beast from beneath the sea that was said to surface during the first new moon of the season to feed. The Nian was said to feed on livestock, crops, and even the villagers of the town especially children.
To protect themselves the villagers would leave food on their doorsteps to satiate the beast. It was said that if the beast were to eat your food that it would not only protect you but it would also protect the other people in the village.
One day a young boy was out after curfew and the Nian snuck up on the boy but when the Nian saw the bright red of the boy's robes it fled back into the sea. One of the villagers of the town noticed this and so when the next new year came around he strung out red lanterns and red spring scrolls and noticed that the Nian did not visit him.
This was a revelation for the villages and so red became the popular color of new years. It was then descovered that the Nian's ears were sensitive to sound so they began setting off fireworks to keep the Nian at bay.
From this point on the Nian did not return to the villages and was believed to be dead until the Taoist monk Hongjun Lao Tzu captured him. This is why the Nian is shown as Lao Tzu's mount.
Just like it is customary in the Southern United States to eat black eyed peas and greens Chinese cultures also have many customs. One of the customs is to do a complete clean sweep of the house essentially sweeping out the ill-fortune to make room for the good fortune.
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