Customs on the 23rd Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month:
1. Worshiping the Kitchen God
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, commonly known as "Little New Year," is traditionally believed to be the day when the Kitchen God ascends to heaven. Thus, it is customary to worship the Kitchen God.The folk rhyme "On the twenty-third, sticky candied melon" refers to the annual Zao Wang sacrifice on the 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. A long-standing folk saying goes, "Officials on the third, commoners on the fourth, boatmen on the fifth," meaning government officials hold the sacrifice on the 23rd, common households on the 24th, and those living on the water on the 25th.
It is said that every year on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God ascends to heaven to report the family's good and bad deeds to the Jade Emperor, who then bestows rewards or punishments. Therefore, when sending off the Kitchen God, people place offerings of candies, clear water, beans, and fodder on the table before his image. The last three items are prepared as provisions for the Kitchen God's mount during his ascent.During the ritual, sugar (or honey) is melted and smeared over the Kitchen God's mouth to prevent him from speaking ill of the household before the Jade Emperor. This act is known as "reporting good deeds to heaven." Folklore holds that the Kitchen God ascends specifically to report human conduct. If a household is accused of wrongdoing, major offenses result in a 300-day reduction of lifespan, while minor offenses incur a 100-day reduction. This belief is widely circulated.
2. Eating Zao Sugar
Offerings to the Kitchen God need not include chicken, duck, fish, or meat, nor the three sacrificial animals (ox, sheep, goat). Only some "sugar melons" are required, allowing the Kitchen God to taste something sweet and speak favorably before the Jade Emperor. An ancient saying goes: "On the twenty-third, sticky sugar melons—the Kitchen God ascends to heaven."Zao sugar is a type of maltose candy. When drawn into long sticks, it's called "Guangdong candy"; when pulled into flat, round shapes, it's known as "sugar melon." Authentic Guangdong candy is incredibly hard—unbreakable even when dropped—and must be split open with a kitchen knife. It's dense and finely textured.
Today, more people savor sugar melon to celebrate the Little New Year.Additionally, dumplings and fire-roasted buns are signature foods for this festival. During the Kitchen God Festival, it's customary to eat dumplings, symbolizing "sending off the Kitchen God with dumplings and welcoming the New Year with steamed buns." In mountainous areas, people often eat cakes and buckwheat noodles. In southeastern Shanxi, it's popular to eat stir-fried corn kernels, as the folk saying goes: "On the twenty-third, if you don't eat stir-fried corn, on New Year's Day, your pot will be empty."People enjoy binding roasted corn kernels together with maltose syrup, freezing them into large blocks that become crispy, sweet, and fragrant when eaten.Sweeping away the dust refers to the year-end deep cleaning, known as "sweeping the house" in the north and "dusting" in the south. This pre-Spring Festival cleaning is a traditional custom of the Chinese nation.
The main task is to thoroughly clean every room. Housewives typically start by covering furniture with quilts or sheets, wrapping their heads with scarves or towels, then sweeping the walls from top to bottom with brooms.After sweeping, tables and chairs are wiped down, floors are rinsed, and everything is left clean, tidy, and bright to welcome the New Year.Designs feature various animals and plants with symbolic meanings, such as magpies perched on plum blossoms, swallows weaving through peach and willow branches, peacocks playing among peonies, lions rolling embroidered balls, three rams heralding prosperity, two dragons playing with a pearl, deer and cranes amidst paulownia and toon trees (symbolizing six harmonies in spring), five bats presenting longevity, a rhinoceros gazing at the moon, lotus flowers signifying abundant fish year after year,Mandarin ducks playing in water, Liu Hai playing with a golden cicada, and the Two Immortals of Harmony and Union.
Cutting paper decorations was once a craft competition showcasing women's dexterity. During the New Year, skilled women would wield scissors to create designs on red paper. Those with solid foundations didn't need patterns, often improvising with great freedom.Today, paper-cutting remains an art form that beautifies daily life, offering joy in the act of creation. 5. Writing Spring Couplets Composing Spring Couplets is another custom of the Little New Year.Spring couplets carry special significance, believed to ward off evil spirits and ensure household safety. Legend has it that over two thousand years ago during the Zhou Dynasty, they originated as peachwood talismans (peach sticks) inscribed with incantations, hung on either side of the main gate each New Year.
Spring couplets come in various forms, categorized by placement: door center, frame couplets, horizontal scrolls, spring strips, and square couplets."Door-center couplets" are affixed to the top center of the door panel; "frame couplets" adorn the left and right door frames; "horizontal banners" are placed on the crossbeam above the door; "spring scrolls" are positioned according to their specific content; "door-leaf couplets" (also called "door-leaf couplets"), which are square or diamond-shaped, are often placed on furniture or screen walls.
6. Haircuts and Rush Weddings
According to northern customs, adults and children alike bathe and get haircuts on Little New Year's Day. A folk saying goes, "Rich or poor, get a haircut for the New Year." The traditional avoidance of haircuts during the first lunar month, combined with the desire to look their best for the holiday, has led to the widespread practice of getting haircuts before Spring Festival.
After the twenty-third, folk belief holds that all gods ascend to heaven, lifting all taboos. Weddings and betrothals no longer require auspicious dates, known as "rush marriages." A folk rhyme captures this: "As year's end rushes, villages bustle with nuptials; Spring-inviting notes tease the season's glow. Sisters whisper by lantern light: 'This New Year's vigil marks our bridal chamber.'"