What to do during the Xiaonian Festival? Don't forget to worship the Kitchen God during the Xiaonian Festival this year.

What to do during the Xiaonian Year? What are the special things about Little New Year? What are the specific customs of Xiaonian? Next, please take a look at the customs related to the Little New Year.

What to do in the young year

Worship the Kitchen God

The Little New Year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is closely related to the Kitchen God. It is said that he is in charge of managing the kitchen fires in each household and is worshipped as the patron saint of the family. Every year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God would ascend to heaven to report the good or bad deeds of the family to the Jade Emperor in heaven. Based on the Kitchen God's report, the Jade Emperor would then hand over the family's fate of good or bad fortune in the new year to the Kitchen God. Therefore, the Kitchen God's report is of great interest to the family. Therefore, on the night of the Little New Year, every household would burn incense to the Kitchen God in the shrine on the stove wall, and offer him sugar-coated melons made of malt sugar and flour. In northern Shanxi there is a folk song that goes, "On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Kitchen God goes to heaven with a piece of candy in his mouth. He doesn't need to speak a word in front of the Jade Emperor. He comes back home to celebrate the New Year with rice, noodles and clothes to wear."

Window paper cutting

Paper-cutting is the most popular folk activity during the Little New Year. When the Little New Year comes, everyone will cut and paste window paper-cuts to prepare for the coming of the New Year. The contents of the paper-cutting vary, such as magpies climbing on plum trees, swallows flying through peach and willow trees, peacocks playing with peonies, mandarin ducks playing in the water, etc.

Sweep the dust

After the Little New Year, there are only six or seven days left until the Spring Festival, so everyone has started preparing for the New Year. Sweeping the dust is also one of the customs after the Little New Year. In many places, the Little New Year is designated as "House Cleaning Day" in order to get rid of the old and welcome the new, and to get rid of bad luck. Therefore, on the eve of the New Year, everyone will clean the house carefully and thoroughly to make sure the windows and tables are spotless.

Eat dumplings

In addition to worshiping the kitchen god on the day of Little New Year, people also pay attention to eating dumplings, which means "sending off dumplings with noodles in the wind." People in mountainous areas mostly eat cakes and buckwheat noodles. In the southeastern part of Shanxi Province, it is popular to eat fried corn. There is a folk saying that goes, "On the 23rd, don't eat fried corn; on the New Year's Day - eat all of it."