Seeing the Kitchen God off – 送灶 sòng zào

Today is the 23rd  of the twelfth month  of the lunar calendar (腊月二十三 là yuè èr shí sān).  It is a very special day for me because it is my father’s birthday.  For lots of Chinese people as my father’s age, their birthday is based on the lunar calendar.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

It is also very important day for all of Chinese because it is the day to see the Kitchen God off.   The Kitchen God is also called the Stove God.  In Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology, the Kitchen God, namedZao Wang Ye (灶王爷 zào wáng yé), is the highly worshiped Chinese domestic gods who protect the health and family.

The legend says that immortals live in heaven and their monarch is called the Jade Emperor.  The kitchen god,  a senior officer of the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝 Yù huáng dà dì),  is in charge of the stove in man’s world.  Traditionally, every Chinese household would have a paper effigy above the fireplace in the kitchen.  The Kitchen God has been in the kitchen of every family all the time since the previous New Year’ s Eve.  On the 23rd  day of  the twelfth month, the Kitchen God returns to the Heaven to report the good and bad activities of every household over the past year to the Jade Emperor.    The Jade Emperor either rewards or punishes a family based onZao Wang Ye’s report.  One week later, in the midnight of the New Year’s Eve,  Zao Wang Ye returns to every family to give all family members their deserved good luck or bad luck.    Everyone loves to get rewards and good luck from Heaven, so that people worship the Kitchen God on the 23rd  day of  the twelfth month – we call 祭灶 jì zào.  People put candies, branch water, beans or peas, and grass in front of the Kitchen God.  The last three items are sacrifices to the horse ridden by the Kitchen God to Heaven. People smear  the lip of Zao Wang Ye’s paper effigy with malt sugar (麦芽糖 mài yá táng) to sweeten his words to the Jade Emperor or to keep his lips stuck together.  During the worship, people always say 上天言好事，下界保平安 shàng tiān yán hǎo shì, xià jiè bǎo píng ‘ān – report the good deeds in Heaven, bring the blessing to earth.   After that, his effigy will be burnt and replaced by a new one on New Year’s day.   Then, firecrackers are lit to speed Zao Wang Ye on his way to heaven.

The Chinese have worshiped Zao Wang Ye for more than 1000 years.  This day is also known as “Little New Year 小年 xiǎo nián). After the23rd  of the twelfth month, people start to prepare for the Spring Festival until New Year’s Eve.  The period from the 23rd  of the twelfth month to New Year’s Eve, we call 迎春日 yíng chūn rì – greeting the Spring.  On the 24 th of the twelfth month, people clean a thorough house and yard.  Then all old decorations are taken down, and there are new decorations put up for the New Year.
On the day of Song Zao,  we eat dumpling but no any stir-fire food.  And we stir-fire popcorn and rice cracker mixed with malt sugar, then keep it frozen.  It is sweet and crisp, called 米花糖 mǐ huā táng.   It is my father’s favorite.

Is  the Kitchen God male or female?   In some territories, people believe the Kitchen God is female, called Zao Wang Nai Nai (灶王奶奶 zào wáng nǎi nai).  Some people believe the Kitchen God is male, Zao Wang Ye.  So that women can not worship the Kitchen God in those areas.   The others believe they are couple,  Zao Wang Ye and Zao Wang Nai Nai.  The wife writes down everything that is said in the household over the year for the husband’s report to the Jade Emperor.

Let us greet the Spring Festival!!!