In China, the traditional folk days of offering sacrifices to stoves are on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month, also known as "off-year". Most areas in the north are on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, and most areas in the south are on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Legend has it that the Kitchen King reports to heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year, and returns to the bottom of the kitchen on the New Year's Eve. People feel that it is necessary to respect the Kitchen King to worship the kitchen stove and pray for peace and fortune in the coming year.

2. Off-year is the origin of the 15th day of the first month.

In Nanjing, off-year is the 15th day of the first month. According to historical records, after Zhu Di usurped the throne in the Ming Dynasty, he practiced tyranny. At that time, people would hold a lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the first month in order to miss the lenient policies of Zhu Yunwen's era, so the Lantern Festival in Nanjing became a small year.

3, other off-year time

In China folk, there is a saying called "official, three people, four boats and five", which means that the official's off-year is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the people's home is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, and house boat is the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, people usually think that the 24th of the twelfth lunar month and the night before New Year's Eve are called off-year. People in Yunnan have a small year on the 16th day of the first month. In some ethnic minority areas in the southwest and north of China, the first day of the first month will be regarded as New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve will become a small year.

Off-year customs:

1, paste the portrait of Kitchen God

Off-year is also a traditional day for offering sacrifices to stoves. On this day of off-year, people will not only put candied melons and cakes on the console table in front of the Kitchen King, but also replace the old Kitchen God portrait and paste a new Kitchen King portrait that every household "invites" back.

2. Cut window grilles

Off-year is usually to prepare for the Spring Festival, and window cutting is the most popular folk activity. Window grilling is an ancient traditional folk art in China, and it is one of the paper-cut varieties. The contents of window grilling in off-year include: a magpie climbing a plum blossom, a lion rolling an hydrangea, a swallow wearing a peach willow, a peacock playing with a peony, a three-sheep (Yang) opening a Thai garden, a dragon playing with a pearl, a mandarin duck playing with water and so on.

3. Sweep the dust

Off-year means that it is not far from the Spring Festival. On off-year people usually thoroughly clean the indoor sanitation, commonly known as sweeping the dust. The purpose of sweeping the dust is to get rid of the old and welcome the new, remove the ominous, and make full preparations for the new year.

4. Marriage

People think that after the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, all the gods went to heaven, so all is forgiven. There is no need to choose a date for such things as wedding leave, which is called rushing to get married, so many people will hold wedding ceremonies from early childhood to the end of the lunar calendar.

5, bath haircut

As the saying goes, "If you have money, you can shave your head for the New Year." Bathing and getting a haircut is one of the customs of off-year. There is a folk saying that you can't shave your hair during the first month, so during the off-year period, people will take a bath and have a haircut to welcome the New Year.