What festival is on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in 2019 and what are its customs?

What festival is on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in 2019 and what are its customs?
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the traditional Chinese festival Little New Year. So what are the customs of Little New Year? The day of Little New Year is also the day when people worship the Kitchen God. The twelfth month of the lunar calendar is commonly known as La Yue. Come to Shui Mo Xiansheng's website to learn about the relevant content of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar in 2018!

What festival is on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in 2019?

Lunar calendar December 23, 2018 Gregorian calendar January 28, 2019 Monday [Today's lunar calendar]
[Do not use it for important events on the day of the red yarn]
Marrying, moving, bringing in money, opening a business, making offerings, planting, bringing in livestock, fasting and offering sacrifices, seeking wealth, traveling, coming of age, attending school, seeking a partner [Today’s taboos in the almanac]
[Do not use it for important events on the day of the red yarn]
Setting up the bed, breaking ground, holding funerals, burying, building, breaking ground, buying property, building embankments, releasing water, seeking medical treatment, taking up a post, accepting marriage proposals, praying for blessings, seeking heirs, shipping, raising beams, erecting columns, starting drilling, resolving separation, moving into a house, sailing
The 23rd and 24th day of the 12th lunar month are the traditional Chinese days for worshiping the Kitchen God, also known as the "Little New Year." According to folklore, every year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God goes to heaven to report the good and bad deeds of the family to the Jade Emperor, who will reward or punish them. Therefore, when sending off the Kitchen God, people put candies, clean water, beans and hay on the table in front of the Kitchen God statue. Among them, the last three are preparations for the Kitchen God's mount for his ascension to heaven. When offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, you would melt Guandong sugar with fire and apply it on the Kitchen God's mouth. In this way, he could not speak ill of him to the Jade Emperor. There is a folk custom that "men do not worship the moon, and women do not worship the Kitchen God", so worshiping the Kitchen God is limited to men. In addition, on the night of New Year’s Eve, the Kitchen God will come to the human world with other gods to celebrate the New Year, and there will be ceremonies of "welcoming the Kitchen God" and "welcoming the gods" on that day. After every household burns sedan chairs and horses, pours three cups of wine and sends off the Kitchen God, it is then their turn to worship their ancestors.

What are the customs for celebrating the Little New Year?

1. The day of Little New Year is also the day for folks to worship the Kitchen God. According to folklore, every year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God goes to heaven to report the good and bad deeds of the family to the Jade Emperor, who will reward or punish them. Therefore, when sending off the Kitchen God, people put candies, clean water, beans and hay on the table in front of the Kitchen God statue. Among them, the last three are preparations for the Kitchen God's mount for his ascension to heaven. When offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, you would melt Guandong sugar with fire and apply it on the Kitchen God's mouth. In this way, he could not speak ill of him to the Jade Emperor. There is a folk custom that "men do not worship the moon, and women do not worship the Kitchen God", so worshiping the Kitchen God is limited to men. In addition, on the night of New Year’s Eve, the Kitchen God will come to the human world with other gods to celebrate the New Year, and there will be ceremonies of "welcoming the Kitchen God" and "welcoming the gods" on that day. After every household burns sedan chairs and horses, pours three cups of wine and sends off the Kitchen God, it is then their turn to worship their ancestors.
2. After sweeping the dust on the 23rd, there are only six or seven days left to the Spring Festival, and the preparations for the New Year seem more intense. The room should be cleaned thoroughly, commonly known as sweeping the dust. The purpose of sweeping the dust is to get rid of the old and welcome the new, and to remove bad luck. Every household must clean carefully and thoroughly to make sure the windows and tables are clean. Painting the walls, cleaning the glass, pasting stained glass windows, putting up New Year pictures, etc.
3. Cutting paper-cuts Among all the preparatory work, cutting paper-cuts is the most popular folk activity. The contents include various stories about animals and plants, such as magpies climbing on plum trees, swallows flying through peach and willow trees, peacocks playing with peonies, lions rolling embroidered balls, three sheep (yang) bringing good luck, two dragons playing with pearls, deer, cranes, tung trees and toon trees (six harmonies in spring), five bats (blessings) holding longevity, rhinoceros looking at the moon, lotus (continuous) years with fish (yu), mandarin ducks playing in the water, Liu Hai playing with golden cicadas, the two immortals of harmony and unity, etc.
4. Every household has to write Spring Festival couplets. People believe that Spring Festival couplets must be posted wherever there are gods, on every door, and on every object, so there are the most of them and they have the most comprehensive content. The couplets before the gods are particularly exquisite, and are mostly words of admiration and blessing. Common ones include couplets for the gods of heaven and earth: "Heaven's grace is as deep as the sea, and the earth's virtue is as heavy as a mountain"; couplets for the god of land: "White jade grows in the soil, and gold comes out of the ground"; couplets for the god of wealth: "The lord of wealth in heaven, the god of fortune and luck on earth"; couplets for the god of well: "The well can connect to the four seas, and the home can reach the three rivers." The Spring Festival couplets hanging in granaries, animal pens and other places express warm congratulations and hopes.
5. After the 23rd anniversary of marriage , people believe that the gods have gone to heaven and there are no taboos. There is no need to choose a date to marry a wife or a daughter, which is called a hasty marriage. There are a lot of wedding ceremonies held until the end of the year. There is a saying in the folk song, "At the end of the year, villages are busy with weddings, and Yichun’s invitations are sent to celebrate the spring. Sisters whisper to each other in front of the lamp, and this year’s staying up late is the bridal chamber."

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