民间传说是为了在年三十晚上赶走一个专门害小孩子的妖怪。长辈给晚辈压岁钱呢，就是送护身符，保平安。后来就变成了新年的习俗，讨个吉利。“发”压岁钱的人呢，来年就能行大运，发大财！而且最好都是新钱，钞票的号码还要相连，表示“连连高升”！
mínjiān chuánshuō shì wèile zài niánsānshí wǎnshang gǎnzǒu yī ge zhuānmén hài xiǎoháizi de yāoguài 。zhǎngbèi gěi wǎnbèi yāsuìqián ne ，jiùshì sòng hùshēnfú ，bǎo píng ān 。hòulái jiù biànchéng le xīnnián de xísú ，tǎo ge jílì 。“fā ”yāsuìqián de rén ne ，láinián jiù néng xíngdàyùn ，fādàcái ！érqiě zuìhǎo dōu shì xīn qián ，chāopiào de hàomǎ hái yào xiānglián ，biǎoshì “liánliángāoshēng ”！
A folk legend says that it's to scare off a monster that harms little children on the last day before the Lunar New Year. The older generation gives money to the younger generation as a way of protecting them. Later on, it became a New Year custom, something auspicious. People who give out money will be very lucky, and they'll get rich. And it's best if it's new money. The numbers on the money should be in sequence, to show ``getting higher all the time."