"Twenty-three, candied haws stick" refers to the custom of the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month?

The 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month is called "off-year", which is a day when people worship the kitchen god, sweep the dust and eat sugar in the traditional culture of China. "Twenty-three, honeydew melon is sticky" refers to the custom of eating stove candy. People will buy candied melons, candied kwantung, sesame candy and other sacrifices, praying that the kitchen god will be sweeter and say good things from heaven.

Guandong sugar, also known as kitchen sugar, big sugar and sesame sugar, is an ancient traditional name, that is, it is not only food for the New Year, but also a sacrifice (to the kitchen god). It is only sold in a small year or so. Kwantung sugar is a sugar product made of malt and millet. It is used to worship the kitchen god. Some people say it is made of sugar, starch, water and amylase.

Legendary story about stove candy

Legend has it that the kitchen god is called Zhang Sheng, and his family is very rich. Although his daughter-in-law, Li, is very virtuous, she can't have children and was divorced by Zhang Sheng. She worked hard and became a rich man. Zhang Sheng's remarried woman was lazy, idle and broke, and his second wife starved to death, while Zhang Sheng made a living by begging.

When they went to the Li family to beg, they met. Zhang Sheng was ashamed and jumped into the pit in the kitchen, where he was burned to death. After Zhang Sheng ascended to heaven, he apologized to the Jade Emperor and was named the Kitchen God. Nowadays, the kitchen god worshipped in the Kanto countryside has evolved into the younger brother of the jade emperor, who gave him the title of kitchen king, making him an emissary between heaven and earth as the eyes and ears of the jade emperor.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, he goes home to the Heavenly Palace, reunites with the Jade Emperor, and reports what he has done at home in the past year. The Jade Emperor rewarded the good and punished the evil according to the reported situation.