Xinhuanet, Shenyang, January 25th (Reporter Li Keyao) The 26th is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, a traditional folk New Year. As the saying goes: On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God goes to heaven. From this day on, people begin to celebrate the New Year.

According to legend, on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God will ascend to heaven and report to the Jade Emperor the good or bad deeds of the family. Based on the report of the Kitchen God, the Jade Emperor will give the family what they should receive in the new year. The fate of good and bad luck is in the hands of the Kitchen God. On the night of New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God returns to the world together with other gods with the good and bad fortune that the family deserves. The other gods ascend to heaven again on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, but only the Kitchen God will stay in people's kitchens for a long time.

So, in order to keep the whole family safe, people often paste couplets on both sides of the stove, saying "God says good things, and the lower realms keep you safe", use malt candies to worship the Stove Lord, and put up lanterns and decorations outdoors. , set off firecrackers and let the Kitchen God say more good things. The etiquette of sending the Stove Lord to heaven is grand, and naturally food is indispensable. Xiaonian can also be said to be a "food festival". Every family eats kitchen candy, sugar ingots, peanut candy, sesame candy and glutinous rice dumplings in the hope of blocking the mouth of the Kitchen God and not talking about the sins of the world. There are also assorted platters and first-grade tofu, indicating that the fruit and vegetable fields are rich and pure, the shredded sweet potatoes symbolize continuous wealth, and the elbows are peeled to symbolize sending away the past.

The Xiaonian Festival is also known as the Festival of Xie Zao and Sacrifice of Stoves. Qu Yanbin, president of the Chinese Folk Language Society, said that because in ancient times there was a saying of "officials, three people, four boats and five" in celebrating the Small New Year, the time of celebrating the Small New Year is slightly different between the north and the south. In the north, which was the political center before the Southern Song Dynasty, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month was used as the day, while in the south it was generally the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. Some people living along the lake retained the tradition of boatmen and celebrated the off-year on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. .