Off-year, not just a day, is called "off-year" because of local customs. During the off-year period, the main folk activities include sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to stoves. The traditional off-year (dust-sweeping and stove-worship day) is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. In most parts of the south, the ancient tradition of celebrating off-year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is still maintained.

People will eat the following things in their younger years:

Chinese dumpling

Jiaozi can be seen in many festivals in the north. Eating jiaozi in off-year means "seeing off the windward side of jiaozi". Because people want to send the kitchen god to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor on this day, people respectfully put the cooked jiaozi on the tribute platform to see him off.

Rice cake

Some places in Guangxi want to eat a round cake made of glutinous rice flour with peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar during the New Year. The locals call it rice cake, which means "round and round" after steaming.

cooked wheaten food

Shandong Jinan, Qingdao, Weihai, Yantai and other regions are busy making various kinds of "noodles flowers" on the New Year's Day, such as reunion cakes, longevity peaches, noodles lanterns, noodles tigers, etc., which means family reunion and more than a year.

tangyuan

In the south, you must eat glutinous rice balls during the New Year. Tangyuan, which means reunion, symbolizes family reunion, harmony and happiness. When people in China have holidays, they must eat several tangyuan to be considered reunion!