你在哪天过“小年”？知道这些习俗吗？

中国民间传统的祭灶日“小年”来到了。这一天人们通常通过祭灶和扫年来宣告整个春节庆祝活动的开始。也有日历将腊月廿三和廿四都标注为小年，原因在于南北方的小年会相差一天，北方多数人廿三过小年，而南方人的小年则要晚一天。你们那里哪天过小年？

Little New Year (Chinese: Xiaonian), usually a week before the lunar New Year, falls on Feb 1 this year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity who oversees the moral character of each household.

“小年”通常在农历新年前一周左右，今年是在2月1日，也是年前的“祭灶日”。传说中，灶王爷会监督着每家每户的善恶。

Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.

下面是“小年”的六种民间习俗，“小年”也预示着春季的开始。

1. Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God
祭灶王

File photo shows people participate in a sacrificial offering to the Kitchen God in Nantong, Jiangsu province, Feb 11, 2015. [Photo by Xu Peiqin/Asianewsphoto]

In one of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, dispatching the god's spirit to Heaven to report on the family's conduct over the past year. The Kitchen God is then welcomed back by to the home through the pasting of a new paper image of him beside the stove. From this vantage point, the Kitchen God will oversee and protect the household for another year.
“小年”最具特色的风俗就是“祭灶王”，具体来讲就是将旧的灶王像烧掉，送“灶王”上天禀报这家人过去一年的善恶。大年三十的晚上，要在灶台旁贴一张新的灶王像，也就是“接灶”。这样，来年“灶王爷”就能继续监督并庇佑这一家人。

Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God's mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to heaven to make his report.
人们还会在祭灶时给灶王爷摆上多种甜点做贡品，认为这会堵住灶王爷的嘴，让他上天汇报时只说好话。