<p class="ql-block">Little New Year, which falls about a week before the lunar New Year, is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God.</p><p class="ql-block">小年，通常是在農(nóng)歷新年前一個(gè)星期，也被稱為祭灶節(jié)。</p> <p class="ql-block">?? Eat malt sugar candy 吃麥芽糖</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Malt sugar candy is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.</p><p class="ql-block">麥芽糖是人們?cè)谛∧瓿缘膫鹘y(tǒng)小吃。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <p class="ql-block">?? Offer Sacrifices to the Kitchen God 祭灶神</p><p class="ql-block">上天言好事 下界保平安</p><p class="ql-block">我想吃柿餅蜜三刀山楂片</p><p class="ql-block">想念偷著干著吃的麥乳精</p><p class="ql-block">想念小時(shí)候的桂圓怡口蓮</p><p class="ql-block">后院響起放電影了</p><p class="ql-block">我和妹妹還在急著泡三鮮伊面～</p><p class="ql-block">One of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God. 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 protect the household for another year.</p><p class="ql-block">小年最具特色的風(fēng)俗就是"祭灶神"，具體來(lái)說(shuō)就是將舊的灶神像燒掉，送"灶神"上天去稟報(bào)這家人在過(guò)去一年的善惡。大年三十的晚上，人們將新的灶神像貼在灶臺(tái)旁，也就是"接灶"。這樣，"灶王爺"就能在新的一年繼續(xù)庇佑這一家人。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">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.</p><p class="ql-block">人們還會(huì)在祭灶時(shí)給灶王爺擺上多種甜點(diǎn)做貢品，認(rèn)為這會(huì)堵住灶王爺?shù)淖?，讓他上天匯報(bào)時(shí)只說(shuō)好話。</p> <p class="ql-block">?? Sweeping the Dust 掃塵</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Sweeping the Dust shows the good wish of putting away old things and welcoming a new life, making everything look fresh in the new year.
</p><p class="ql-block">掃塵是人們對(duì)辭舊迎新，新年新氣象的一種愿望。</p> <p class="ql-block">?? Paste Paper-cuts to s。貼窗花</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">The paper-cut for decoration is one of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year in China. There are various kinds of paper-cuts, including animals and plants and so on.
</p><p class="ql-block">剪貼窗花是較為盛行的民俗活動(dòng)。窗花的種類多種多樣，有動(dòng)物和植物的。</p> <p class="ql-block">?? Bath and Haircut 洗浴理發(fā)</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they're rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year to meet the New Year's arrival.
</p><p class="ql-block">民間有一個(gè)"有錢沒(méi)錢，剃頭過(guò)年"的說(shuō)法。大人、小孩都要洗浴理發(fā)，以一個(gè)新的面貌迎接新年。</p> <p class="ql-block">?? Preparations for Spring Festival 備年貨</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">People start to prepare for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to entertain guests and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.
</p><p class="ql-block">從小年開(kāi)始，人們就要為春節(jié)置辦年貨了，包括招待客人的用品、過(guò)年期間一家人的吃食都要提前買好。</p> <p class="ql-block">每一個(gè)節(jié)日都“隆重”一點(diǎn)</p><p class="ql-block">才讓平淡的日子有了儀式感。??</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <p class="ql-block">小年</p><p class="ql-block">小孩小孩你別饞，過(guò)了臘八就是年。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">臘八粥喝幾天，哩哩啦啦二十三。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">二十三糖瓜粘。二十四掃房子。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">二十五做豆腐。二十六煮煮肉，</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">二十七殺年雞，二十八把面發(fā)，</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">二十九蒸饅頭，三十晚上玩一宿，</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">大年初一扭一扭?！?lt;/p><p class="ql-block">吃餃子</p><p class="ql-block">祭灶節(jié)，民間講究，取意“送行餃子迎風(fēng)面”。山區(qū)多吃糕和蕎面。晉東南地區(qū)，流行吃炒玉米的習(xí)俗，民諺有“二十三，不吃炒，大年初—一鍋倒”的說(shuō)法。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">吃灶糖</p><p class="ql-block">古話說(shuō)“二十三，糖瓜粘，灶君老爺要上天”。吃灶糖,灶糖是一種麥芽糖，粘性很大，把它抽為長(zhǎng)條型的糖棍稱為"關(guān)東糖"，拉制成扁圓型就叫做"糖瓜"。冬天把它放在屋外，因?yàn)樘鞖鈬?yán)寒，糖瓜凝固得堅(jiān)實(shí)而里邊又有些微小的氣泡，吃起來(lái)脆甜香酥，別有風(fēng)味。真關(guān)東糖堅(jiān)硬無(wú)比，摔不能碎，吃時(shí)必須用菜刀劈開(kāi)，質(zhì)料很重很細(xì)?？谖渡运?，中間絕沒(méi)有蜂窩，每塊重一兩、二兩、四兩，價(jià)格也較貴一些。糖瓜分有芝麻的和沒(méi)芝麻的兩種，用糖做成甜瓜形或北瓜形，中心是空的，皮厚不及五分，雖大小不同，但成交仍然以分量計(jì)算，大的糖瓜有重一二斤的，不過(guò)用作幌子，買的人很少。</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">關(guān)東糖又稱灶王糖、大塊糖。一年之中，只有在小年前后才有出售。關(guān)東糖是用麥芽、小米熬制而成的糖制品，它是祭灶神用的。清人寫的《燕京歲時(shí)記》中記載：清代祭灶，供品中就有“關(guān)東糖”、“糖餅”。關(guān)東糖在東北的農(nóng)村、城市里，大街小巷、街市上，都有小販叫賣：“大塊糖，大塊糖，又酥又香的大塊糖?！比榘咨拇髩K糖，放在方盤上，一般有三寸長(zhǎng)，一寸寬，扁平，呈絲條狀。新做的大塊糖，放在嘴里一咬，又酥又香，有粘性，有一種特殊風(fēng)味，是關(guān)東男女老少都十分喜愛(ài)的一種糖。它已從灶王爺?shù)募雷郎献呦聛?lái)，廣為百姓享用。</p>