Stove God Worship
Worshipping the Stove God. Traditionally, the Stove God is sent to heaven on the 23rd or 24th day of the 12th lunar month.
Stove God worship is the custom of venerating the Stove God (Zao Jun). In traditional folk belief, the Stove God oversees the household's food and blessings/misfortunes, and ascends to the Heavenly Court on the 23rd or 24th day of the 12th lunar month each year to report the family's good and evil deeds to the Jade Emperor. Thus, every household prepares sweets and sacrificial offerings on this day, hoping the Stove God will 'speak well of them in heaven.' The ceremony marks the beginning of New Year preparations. Although modern families mostly use gas or electric stoves, some regions still maintain the tradition of Stove God worship, or practice it in a simplified form.