Chinese Little New Year, the Kitchen God Festival
The Little New Year ( ‘小年--Xiaonian’ in Chinese, also called the Minor New Year’s Day), usually falls a week before the lunar New Year. In 2025, it falls on Jan.22 in northern part of China and Jan.23 in the southern part of China. The Chinese Little New Year is not a fixed festival as it varies with local customs. Folk activities during the Little New Year mainly include sweeping dust and worshipping Kitchen God. So, the day is also called the Festival of the Kitchen God (the deity who oversees the moral character of each household). Chinese Little New Year means that Chinese people begin to prepare special purchases for the Spring Festival and are ready to spend a clean Spring Festival. Also, it suggests a new year with a new image and expresses the good wishes of Chinese people to ring out the Old Year and ring in the New Year.
Origin of the Festival
Date of Chinese Little New Year
In folk China, people have the tradition of "the third for official, the fourth for folk and the fifth for marine", which means the official celebrate the Chinese Little New Year on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, the people celebrate on the 24th while the coastal or lakeside residents celebrate on the 25th day.
North had been the political center of China before the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), so people still celebrate the Chinese Little New Year on 23rd of the 12th lunar month; South was far away from the political center, so people here still celebrate on 24th; coastal or lakeside residents preserve the boatman tradition of celebrating on 25th.
In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, both 24th of the 12th lunar month and the night before New Year's Eve are regarded as the Minor Chinese New Year. In Nanjing, the Lantern Festival falling on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month is treated as the Minor Chinese New Year. In Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan located in Southwest China and some Hui Nationality regions in North China, New Year's Eve is the Chinese Little New Year.
Festival Customs
Sweeping Dust
Sweeping dust is actually the thorough cleaning of house. North China celebrates the Chinese Little New Year on 23rd of the 12th lunar month while South China celebrates on 24th which is just 6 or 7 days before the Spring Festival. As a result, the preparation for Chinese New Year is more urgent and every family needs to clean up thoroughly for a clean New Year.
Worshipping Kitchen God
Worshipping Kitchen God is the most important activity on the Chinese Little New Year. According to folklore, the Kitchen God would report the Jade Emperor about the good and evil deeds of every family on 23rd of the 12th lunar month for the Emperor to reward and punish. While offering sacrifice to the Kitchen God, people place candy, water, beans and hay on the table in front of the Kitchen God image; the latter three items are for the mount of the Kitchen God. Also, the Northeast Candy (a kind of malt candy) shall be melted and applied to the lips of the Kitchen God to prevent him from telling something bad. In folk China, only men can worship the Kitchen God.
In Northern China: in addition to candy and pastry offered, people also have to replace the old image of Kitchen God with a new one.
In southern China: burning paper offerings is the main activity. Also, people have to offer the dishes to the Kitchen God before enjoying with family.
Making Chinese Paper Cuts for Window Decoration
Making paper cuts for window decoration is one of the important customs of Chinese Little New Year. It’s a preparation for the Spring Festival. The styles of the paper cutting varies including all kinds of animals, plants, flower, fruits etc. The aim of pasting paper-cuts on windows is for praying for good in the new year.
Haircut and Bath
It is believed that during the Little New Year, in addition to giving the house a new look, every family member should have a haircut and bath to remove the dust and bad luck of the previous year and bring in good luck for the new year, which is a good omen for the start of a prosperous and smooth new year.
Rushing for random marriages
After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people believe that the gods have gone to heaven and there are no taboos. There is no need to choose an auspicious date to marry, which is called "rushing for random marriages". So, there are many wedding ceremonies held until the end of the year.
What to eat for Chinese Little New Year?
Dumplings
Eating dumplings: it seems that dumplings are essential to every festival in North China. Eating dumplings at the dinner of Chinese Little New Year is for the meaning of seeing off the Kitchen God. While offering up a sacrifice, people need to put the dumplings on the table neatly.
Nian Gao
In southern China, cooking Nian Gao is the tradition of many places. Nian Gao is made of glutinous rice and other ingredients. As it shares a similar pronunciation with ‘年年高’in Chinese. Nian Nian Gao in Chinese also known as ''Year High Cake'', having the symbolic meaning of ''life and work getting higher or better year after year''.
Northeast Candy
Northeast Candy, a.k.a. Kitchen God Candy or Large Candy, is only available before and after the Chinese Little New Year. It is a kind of candy made from malt and millet by boiling, for the purpose of worshipping the Kitchen God. The milk white candy is flat and in strip shape, about three inches long and one inch wide. The new candy is crisp, tasty and viscous, with a special favor loved by everyone in Northeast China. Nowadays, the candy has become a daily food for the people rather than an offering to the Kitchen God.
Baked Wheat Cake
In addition to Kitchen God Candy, Baked Wheat Cake is also a special festival food for the Minor Chinese New Year. Every year on this day, the stalls dealing with Baked Wheat Cake in many cities are quite popular.
Wheaten Food
In North China, every family is busy about making steamed bread, reunion cake and peach-shaped birthday cake on the Minor Chinese New Year, for the meaning of family reunion and surplus year after year. It is quite complicated to make this kind of food, as you have to leaven, soften, knead and re-soften the dough before making a variety of shapes; then, the dough has to be softened again before steaming. The finished food is named ''floury flower'' which is tasty yet time-consuming.
Taboos
1. Unclean firewood cannot be used for cooking, and the front and back of the stove must be kept clean;
2. It is not allowed to dry shoes on the stove, and even feet cannot be placed in front of the stove door to warm;
3. It is not allowed to trample on grains in the kitchen;
4. It is not allowed to quarrel or fight in front of the stove, and knives, axes and other weapons cannot be placed on the stove;
5. Children cannot cry or make noise in front of or behind the stove;
6. It is not allowed to be untidy in the kitchen, and there are stricter requirements for women.
In short, all dirty and unclean things are not allowed to approach the stove, and the behavior in the kitchen must be decent.
Regional taboos
The taboos of the Little New Year vary from region to region. In some areas of Hubei Province, people are forbidden to slaughter animals on the day of the Little New Year. In some places of Henan Province, people are forbidden to pound garlic, as they believe that pounding garlic on the day of the Little New Year will make the family poor. In Taiwan, people call the Little New Year "the day of sending off the gods", and are forbidden to pound rice, as it is said that pounding the god of wind will bring down the god of wind, which will bring wind disasters in the coming year. In the days after the Little New Year, people in rural areas will steam buns to prepare for the New Year, but they should not give them away as alms, as these buns must first be used to worship their ancestors and the heavens.
Chinese Calendar
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28初七/7 | 29初八/8 | 30初九/9 | 1初十/10 | 2十壹/11 | 3十二/12 | 4十三/13 |
| 5十四/14 | 6十五/15 | 7十六/16 | 8十七/17 | 9十八/18 | 10十九/19 | 11二十/20 |
| 12廿壹/21 | 13廿二/22 | 14廿三/23 | 15廿四/24 | 16廿五/25 | 17廿六/26 | 18廿七/27 |
| 19廿八/28 | 20廿九/29 | 九月 (Sep) 21初壹/1 | 22初二/2 | 23初三/3 | 24初四/4 | 25初五/5 |
| 26初六/6 | 27初七/7 | 28初八/8 | 29初九/9 | 30初十/10 | 31十壹/11 | 1十二/12 |
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