Why Chinese New Year celebrations use firecrackers, color red

Why are fireworks and the color red associated with Chinese New Year? According to legend, a monster called the Nian monster would emerge from the ocean around the Lunar New Year and eat villagers and their livestock. To avoid him, the villagers would head for the hills each year. Until one day a bad-ass monk arrived and sorted the Nian monster out. Monica explains more as she introduces this a ...