Make candies and worship the Kitchen God

A cartoon painting of people giving offering to the Kitchen God. /CGTN Photo

The day is also known as the day to honor the Kitchen God. According to Chinese Taoist mythology, the Kitchen God returns to heaven on this day to report to the Jade Emperor, the God of Heaven, on the situation of every household during the past lunar year. The Jade Emperor will then decide whether to bestow luck on or punish the families.

People will offer various foods, especially candies, to the Kitchen God to make sure that he won’t speak ill of their families. Many rural households in China still have paintings of the Kitchen God above their fireplaces.