Off-year, also known as off-year and off-year, is relative to Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). Due to regional differences, the dates of off-year holidays vary from place to place, and most areas have holidays on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Beijing, Henan and other areas celebrate the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.
The Eastern Han Dynasty (the same as History) recorded in the "Four-person Moon Order": "The twelfth lunar month is renewed, which means it is young and strong. When you enter the wine, you respect your elders and cultivate teachers. " Yao Xingquan's "Long Mian Miscellaneous Memories" in the Qing Dynasty recorded the scene of the Lunar New Year in Tongcheng County, Anqing (now Anhui Province): "Twenty-four nights, wine and vinegar were set up to extend the ancestors, and the inside and outside of the secret room went to the facade, the lights and candles were brilliant, and the sound of fireworks went to the four lanes, which was almost the same except at night. Scholars call it off-year. " People attach great importance to off-year life, so many customs have been formed.
Off-year sacrifice:
Offering sacrifices to the kitchen god means offering sacrifices to the kitchen god. Kitchen God is commonly known as Kitchen God Bodhisattva, Kitchen God, Kitchen God and Oriental Chef. According to legend, Kitchen God is the God sent by the Jade Emperor to monitor people's good and evil. At the end of each year, he will return to the Heavenly Palace to report the people's feelings to the Jade Emperor, so that he can be rewarded and punished. Therefore, when sending stoves, people put candy, water, beans and grass on the console table in front of the statue of the kitchen king; The last three of them are preparing materials for the mount of the chef. When offering sacrifices to the stove, the whole family, old and young, should attend the sacrifice and kowtow.
Some of the eldest son gave incense and wine, and sprinkled horse fodder on the mount of the kitchen god, and scattered it from the kitchen stove to the path outside the kitchen door. He also melted the kwantung sugar with fire and put it on the mouth of the kitchen god. According to legend, this can stick the teeth of Kitchen God so that it can't make a sound, so that he can't speak ill of the world in the jade emperor's place. After the sacrifice, the statue of Kitchen God should be burned, saying that it was to send Kitchen God to heaven.