Celebrate Little New Year

The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month

CHINA CARBON NETWORK

New Year’s Greetings for Little New Year

The beautiful Little New Year has arrived, marking the opening of the Spring Festival.

Welcoming joy and blessings, the new year ushers in a fresh journey.

China Carbon Network wishes you:

Joy follows with the arrival of the New Year, and blessings come with family reunion!

CHINA CARBON NETWORK

Origin of Xiao Yu

Xiaonian, also known as the Festival of Offering to the Kitchen God, the Kitchen King Festival, or the Sweeping Dust Day, is a traditional Chinese festival. The date varies depending on the region: in northern China, it falls on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, while in most parts of southern China, it falls on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month. Before the mid-Qing Dynasty, northern regions also observed Xiaonian on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month. However, starting from the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, the imperial court began holding a grand ceremony to worship Heaven on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. To “save expenses,” they took the opportunity to pay homage to the Kitchen God as well. Consequently, people in northern regions started celebrating Xiaonian one day earlier, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month.

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Folk customs

Worship the Kitchen God

The Kitchen God Festival is an important ritual observed on Little New Year’s Day. In addition to offering sugar candies and pastries, families also replace their old Kitchen God portraits with new ones. As they remove the old portrait, every household “invites” a fresh image of the Kitchen God back into their home. According to folk legend, on Little New Year’s Day each year, the Kitchen God ascends to Heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the family’s good and bad deeds, prompting the Jade Emperor to bestow rewards or punishments accordingly. Thus, when performing the Kitchen God ritual, people place candies, clean water, beans, and fodder on the altar before the Kitchen God’s portrait. The latter three items are prepared as provisions for the Kitchen God’s celestial mount. There’s a traditional custom that “men don’t worship the moon, and women don’t offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God,” so only men are permitted to perform the Kitchen God ritual. Moreover, it’s said that on New Year’s Eve, the Kitchen God joins the other deities in visiting the human world to celebrate the New Year. On that night, there are special rituals called “welcoming the Kitchen God” and “welcoming the deities.” Once every household has burned paper effigies of sedan chairs and horses, poured three cups of wine, and seen the Kitchen God off, it’s then time to pay respects to one’s ancestors.

Sweep away the dust

“Sweeping the dust” refers to the year-end big clean-up. On this day, every household cleans their surroundings, tidies up various household items, dismantles and washes bedding and curtains, sweeps and mops the courtyards of the six neighborhoods, brushes away dust, cobwebs, and grime, and clears out both open ditches and underground drainage channels. Everywhere is filled with a joyful atmosphere of cleaning thoroughly and welcoming the New Year in a spotless manner.

Eat stove candy

According to folk legend, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month each year, the Kitchen God ascends to Heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the good and evil deeds of the household, prompting the Jade Emperor to bestow rewards or punishments accordingly. Therefore, people offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God, intending to coat his mouth with sugar so that when he ascends to Heaven, he’ll speak only sweet words.

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