"Ci Zao" is also called "Sending the Stove King to Grandpa". According to folklore, on this day, the Kitchen God will ascend to heaven to report the merits and demerits of the family to the Jade Emperor. Resigning from the stove is to send the Kitchen God off on his journey. The people are very pious and respectful towards this god of household. The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is a day for people to "say goodbye to the stove", which is called "Little New Year" or "Little New Year". On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, in the old days, wine would be served to the Stove King in the evening. They also offered maltose to stick to his mouth to prevent him from going to heaven to "talk nonsense". Now we only follow the custom of eating dumplings as a family.

Couplet dedicated to the Stove Lord: God says good things; the lower world ensures peace.

Sacrificing stoves in the New Year is a common custom across the country. In the past, on this day, people would worship the Stove Lord and the Stove Lord on the wall near the pot in the kitchen (kitchen). A pair of couplets should be affixed on both sides of the statue of the Buddhist niche. The upper couplet reads "God brings good deeds", the lower couplet reads "The lower world ensures peace" or "Returns to the palace to bring good luck". The banner is "Head of the family". The ancients said: "Food is the most important thing for the people," so it is completely understandable that people respectfully regard the Kitchen God as the head of the family.

But this time, he was sent to heaven to report family affairs to the Jade Emperor. It makes things difficult for people. Although I usually treat him well and ask him to do good deeds from heaven, I don't know whether to repay good deeds or not evil deeds. Therefore, when seeing off the Stove Lord, he changed his ways to serve the Stove Lord. People offer persimmons, peanuts, melon seeds, snacks and other offerings to the Stove, which means that the Stove Lord's mouth will become sweet after eating it, and he will only say good things and not bad things when he goes to heaven. When most people offer sacrifices to the Stove God, they offer a sugar melon made of maltose in front of the statue of the God of the Stove God, hoping to stick the tooth-sticky sugar melon to the Stove God's mouth. Make it difficult for him to speak, lest he go to heaven to talk nonsense and stir up trouble. Prepare the offerings and place them in front of "Grandpa Stove King", also put paper and foil-folded ingots, and then put several money bags and grain bags stuck with paper (prepare the Stove King to return from heaven to collect money and food). for food). After waiting for a while, burn it together with the "stove horse" (cut it from the stove horse's head or draw it yourself). The person who presided over the sacrifice to the stove repeatedly asked and asked: "Today is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. Grandpa Stove King, please go to the west. Talk less and bring more food and more money. Wait for another seven days to come home to celebrate the New Year." When the paper turns to ashes, from The "libation wine" (actually water) is poured out from the "libation pot" and sprinkled horizontally, and all the men in the family kowtow to the Stove King. After the ceremony of saying goodbye to the stove is over, it’s time to share the offerings.