为什么南北方小年不在同一天？还得从这里说起……

Xiaonian (literally Minor New Year) falls on the 23rd (Northern China) and 24th (Southern China) of La Yue, the last month on the Chinese calendar, marking the start of the countdown to Chinese lunar New Year.

In ancient times like the Tang and Song dynasties, the date of 24th is set for all. It is said that in the Qing Dynasty, the emperors offered sacrifices to gods on the 23rd, and reported his annual work to them. To make it more cost-effective, the Kitchen God was also included in this day.

Because of the geographical adjacency, the northerners were influenced by the emperors' activity, and start to celebrate Xiaonian on the 23rd, while the southerners keep the old traditions.

On the day of Xiaonian, people buy some sweets made of malt sugar, such as Tang Gua and Guandong candy, to sacrifice to the Kitchen God. The purpose is to make him say more good things when he reports to the Jade Emperor. In addition, it also has the intention of sticking the mouth of the Kitchen God with sugar to prevent him from saying bad things.