Preliminary Year
Name: Preliminary Year(Xiao Nian)
Date: 23-day of the last lunar month
The "monarch of kitchen" or 'kitchen god," who is worshiped among the Chinese people, is a god who takes charge of the fortune of families. It is said that on the 23th day of the twelfth lunar
month every year, the kitchen god will report to Yuhuang Dadi(Jade Emperor, supreme deity in Taoism about the goods and evils of each family 80 that Yuhuang Dadi can decide whether they should be awarded or punished. Therefore, when it is the time to send the kitchen god off, people will put
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| "Kitchen God," New Year poster. | candies, water, soybeans and fodder in front of his statue. The last three are prepared for the horse with which the kitchen god goes to heaven.When giving offerings to him, people will melt the Guandong candy(a kind of candy originated in Northeast China)and apply it to the kitchen god's mouth. With his mouth being glued, he will not be able to speak ill of others before Yuhuang Dadi. People follow the custom that "men don't worship moon and women don't revere kitchen.กฐ Therefore the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the kitchen god is only hold by men.
On the New Year's Eve, the kitchen god will come to earth with other gods to
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| "Door Gods," New Year poster of Yangliuqing, Tianjin, Qing Dynasty. | celebrate the Spring Festival, so there should be a ceremony of "welcoming the kitchen god ". People always began to Clean their houses from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and it usually lasts until the 23rd day. The cleaning is also called house, which aims to get rid of the bad luck and take on a new look. Every family will do the cleaning carefully and completely to make the house bright and clean.
Twenty-fourth day of the last lunar month is decided as the "house cleaning day" in Beijing. Every year when it comes to that day, the housewives will firstly cover the beds and furniture and hood themselves. Then they will brush the walls with brooms. Later on they will clean the tables and floors: After all these,every family will take an entirely new look. |
