The small New Year celebration held before Chinese New Year is called Xiaonian, meaning “Little New Year.” It usually takes place near the end of the twelfth month of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar and marks the beginning of preparations for the main festival.
Xiaonian is closely connected with the Kitchen God, traditionally believed to report each household’s behavior to the Jade Emperor. Families may offer sweet foods, clean their homes, and burn firecrackers or incense as part of sending the deity to heaven. The sweet offerings symbolically encourage a favorable report.
The date is not identical everywhere. In northern China, Xiaonian is often observed on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, while many southern communities traditionally observe it on the twenty-fourth. Because the lunisolar calendar shifts against the Gregorian calendar, the celebration usually falls about a week before Chinese New Year. Duanwu, Zhongqiu, and Yuanxiao are separate festivals.