Before the new year's Eve, we will usher in the new year. On this day, we usually need to hold a kitchen sacrifice and prepare for the new year. So do you know what day this year is? What are the legends about Xiaonian? Let's have a look with Xiaobian
Lunar New Year 2019
North: Friday, January 17, 2020, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month
South: Saturday, January 18, 2020, the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month
Introduction to Xiaonian
Xiaonian does not specifically refer to a day. Due to local customs, the days called 'Xiaonian' are also different. During the small year, the main folk activities include dust sweeping, offering sacrifices to cookers, etc. The folk tradition of offering sacrifices to the stove is the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. In most parts of the south, the ancient tradition of celebrating the lunar new year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is still maintained. Since the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the emperor's family held a heaven worship ceremony on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In order to "save money", the kitchen Lord was worshipped by the way. Therefore, most of the northern areas celebrated the lunar new year on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.
Xiaonian has different concepts and dates in different places. The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is in the north and the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is in most parts of the south. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions call "the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month" and "the night before New Year's Eve" as Xiaonian, Nanjing region calls the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month as Xiaonian, some parts of Yunnan are the 16th day of the first month, and some ethnic minority areas in the southwest and North are new year's Eve.
The new year also means that people begin to prepare for the new year's goods and prepare for a clean new year, which means that there should be a new atmosphere in the new year, and expresses the good wishes of the Chinese working people to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, welcome good luck and accept good fortune.
Legend of Xiaonian
On December 23 and 24 of the lunar calendar, it is a traditional Chinese folk kitchen day, also known as "Xiaonian". It is said that the kitchen god was originally a civilian Zhang Sheng. After he got married, he spent all day drinking and drinking, lost all his family property and went to the streets to beg. One day, he begged to his ex-wife Guo Dingxiang's house. Ashamed, he went under the stove and burned to death. After knowing this, the Jade Emperor thought that Zhang Sheng could change his mind and was not bad enough. Since he died at the bottom of the pot, he made him the king of the stove. He reported to heaven on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month every year and returned to the bottom of the stove on the 30th of the lunar new year. The common people feel that the kitchen king must be respected because he has to report to heaven. Therefore, people have a "small year" of sacrificial stoves on the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month to pray for peace and wealth in the coming year.