Why is Xiaonian divided into north and south? What are the differences between Xiaonian customs in the north and south?

The time of celebrating the Little New Year is different in the south and the north, so the Little New Year is divided into north and south. The Minor New Year in the north is on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, while in the south it is on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, with only one day difference between the two regions. So, why is the Little New Year divided into north and south?

Why is Xiaonian divided into north and south?

There is a Little New Year in the south and there is also a Little New Year in the north. The Little New Year's Eve in the south and the north are not on the same day. In the north it is on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, while in the south it is on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. The custom of having one day difference between the northern and southern New Year's Eve has a long history. As early as the Song Dynasty, there were records of celebrating the Little New Year on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. However, starting from the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, people would offer sacrifices to the gods in the Kunning Palace on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month every year, which was to report work progress to the gods of heaven and earth. In order to save money and build a harmonious society, the emperor also worshipped the Kitchen God. Later, the royal family and nobles followed suit and worshiped the Kitchen God on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. Later, it was said that because society had progressed and everyone was equal, everyone followed the emperor and wanted to be more "noble" by changing the date of the Kitchen God worship to the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. Since Beijing was the imperial capital in the past, the north was more affected. However, the southern part of China still maintains the traditional custom of celebrating the Little New Year on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month in line with the general public.

What are the differences between the customs of the Little New Year in the north and south?

On the day of Little New Year, people in the south eat rice cakes, rice dumplings, sugar cane, etc., and have the custom of sweeping the house and pasting window flowers. In the north, people celebrate the Little New Year by sweeping the house, putting up window decorations, taking a bath and getting a haircut, etc. The cultures in the south and the north are different, and the customs during the New Year are also different. However, some customs are the same. On the day of Little New Year, people in many areas start cleaning their houses, because after Little New Year, it indicates that the Spring Festival is coming soon. In addition to cleaning their houses, people will also buy many New Year goods, such as meat, candy, melon seeds, etc.

The origin of Xiaonian

Generally speaking, the Little New Year is relative to the Big New Year. Xiaonian is a traditional festival of the Han nationality in my country, also known as Xie Zao, Zao Wang Festival, and Zao Wang Festival. The Little New Year is the day for people to worship the kitchen god. There is a legend about this. Since every household has a stove, the Jade Emperor stations a kitchen god in every household to supervise and inspect the behavior of the whole family in the past year. On the day of the Little New Year, the Kitchen God goes to heaven to report the good and evil deeds of the whole year to the Jade Emperor, so that the Jade Emperor can reward or punish. Therefore, when worshiping the kitchen god, every household melts Guandong sugar with fire and puts it on the Kitchen God's mouth, so that he cannot say bad things in front of the Jade Emperor. The Kitchen God Festival is actually a festival for every family to send off the Kitchen God to heaven. There are ceremonies to see off the Kitchen God and to welcome him down from heaven. On the night of New Year’s Eve, the Kitchen God will come to the human world with other gods to celebrate the New Year. On that day, there will be ceremonies of “welcoming the Kitchen God” and “welcoming the gods”.

The 23rd and 24th day of the 12th lunar month are the traditional Chinese days for worshiping the Kitchen God, also known as the "Little New Year." Legend has it that the Kitchen God was originally a commoner named Zhang Sheng. After marrying a wife, he spent his days in debauchery and lost all his family fortune, and was reduced to begging on the streets. One day, he went to beg at his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang's house. He was so ashamed that he dived under the stove and burned to death. When the Jade Emperor found out, he thought that Zhang Sheng had changed his mind and was not completely bad. Since he died at the bottom of the pot, he was named Kitchen God. He was required to report to heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year and return to the bottom of the pot on New Year's Eve. Ordinary people feel that the Kitchen God must be respected because he has to report to Heaven. Therefore, people have the "Little New Year" of worshiping the kitchen god on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month, praying for peace and prosperity in the coming year.