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"Little" New Year's (continuation)

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But I was surprised to learn that, traditionally, the celebration of New Year's actually begins a week before the Chinese New Year with the practice of offering a sacrifice to the Kitchen God, a god sent from Heaven to each family to take charge of family affairs and who makes a report to Heaven one week prior to New Year's on what the family has done in the past year. The sacrifice to the Kitchen God is a lotus root-like sticky cake made of a type of confection, a typical Chinese traditional candy.  Hopes are that the sticky cake will prevent the Kitchen God from speaking ill of the family in Heaven by sticking his mouth shut.  Or, if he does manage to speak, he will utter only sweet words. So this year, the sacrifice to the Kitchen God, held on what is called "Little" New Year's Eve, was Wednesday, January 30th.

AND THERE WERE FIRECRACKERS LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE THE DEAD!

My son-in-law Steve would  approve--some Chinese firecrackers look like sticks of dynamite.

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