Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Almanac inquiry - What does it mean to offer sacrifices to the kitchen god in off-year

What does it mean to offer sacrifices to the kitchen god in off-year

To protect the safety of the whole family.

The folk proverb says: "Twenty-three, sacrifice the stove." 4 102 old customs 1653 The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is the day to worship the kitchen god. Most of the statues of Kitchen God are also printed with the calendar of this year, which reads the words "Oriental chef is in charge", "guardian of the world" and "head of the family" to show the status of Kitchen God. On both sides, there are couplets of "Heaven says yes, and the lower bound is safe".

Origin and evolution

According to "Records of Local Customs" written by Zhou Chu, a celebrity in Jin Dynasty in China, "On the 24th night of the twelfth lunar month, the kitchen god offered sacrifices to heaven, and he was one year old the next day, so he offered sacrifices to the day first."

In Song Dynasty, Fan Chengda said in "Poem of Sacrificing a Kitchen": "According to legend, there was a twelfth lunar month in ancient times, and the kitchen owner spoke to heaven. Clouds, cars and horses linger, and there are cups and plates at home. The pig's head is rotten and hot, the fish is fresh, and the bean paste is Gan Song powder bait. When a man asks his daughter to avoid it, he drinks and burns money. You can't smell the struggle of servants, and you are not angry about the horns of cats and dogs; Send you to Tianmen to get drunk, long and short, don't go back to the clouds, ask the market for some.