Little New Year (Chinese: Xiaonian), usually a week before the lunar New Year, falls on Jan 17 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，通常是農曆新年的前一週，今年是1月17日。它也被稱為灶神節，灶神是監督每家每戶的道德品質的神靈。
deity
英 [ˈdeɪəti; ˈdiːəti] 美 [ˈdeɪəti,ˈdiːəti]
n. 神；神性
Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.
以下是關於小年你應該知道的六件事，小年是春天開始的另一個的標誌。
1. Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God
祭灶王
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.
小年最具特色的傳統之一是焚燒灶神的紙像，把灶神的靈魂派到天堂，稟報這家人過去一年的行為。之後，通過在灶臺旁粘貼一張新的灶神畫像，來歡迎灶神回家。從這個有利的角度，灶神將監督和保護家庭另一年。
The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig's head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy.
灶神的貢品中包括豬頭、魚、豆沙、甜瓜、水果、水餃、麥芽糖和關東糖果。
dispatching
英 [dɪˈspætʃ]美 [dɪˈspætʃ]
v. 派遣，發送；迅速處理，快速辦妥；殺死，處決
n. 派遣，調遣
stove
英 [stəʊv] 美 [stoʊv]
n. 火爐；窯；溫室
vantage
英 ['vɑːntɪdʒ] 美 ['væntɪdʒ]
n. 優勢；有利情況；有利地位
2. House cleaning
掃塵土
Between Laba Festival, on the eighth day of the last lunar month, and Little New Year, on the twenty-third day, families throughout China undertake a thorough house cleaning, sweeping out the old in preparation for the New Year.
在臘八節(上一個農曆月的第八天)和小年(第二十三天)之間，中國各地的家庭都要進行大掃除，掃除舊的，為新的一年做準備。
3. Eat Guandong candy
吃關東糖
Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.
關東糖（灶糖）是由糯米和發芽的小麥製成的粘性食物，是中國人在灶神節吃的傳統小吃。
glutinous
英 [ˈɡluːtənəs] 美 [ˈɡluːtənəs]
adj. 黏的，黏性的；膠狀的，膠質的
4. Paste paper-cuts to windows
貼窗花
In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year's posters, and auspicious decorations are pasted up.
在小年裡，人們把上個春節的春聯和剪紙取下，並貼上新的窗飾、年畫和吉祥的裝飾物。
auspicious
英 [ɔːˈspɪʃəs] 美 [ɔːˈspɪʃəs]
adj. 有助於成功的，有利的；吉祥的
5. Bath and hair-cut
沐浴和理髮
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.
正如中國有句老話說的，“有錢沒錢，剃頭過年”。沐浴和理髮的活動通常在小年進行。
6. Preparations for Spring Festival
春節準備
People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.
從小年開始，人們就開始囤積必要的春節食品。在這個漫長的節日裡，祭祖、招待客人、供養家人所需要的一切東西都必須提前購買。
A Spring Festival shopping list includes items such as meat, poultry and eggs, fruit and vegetables, rice and flour, cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and tea, red paper, images of celestial horses and the Kitchen God. Incense and candles, snacks, new calendars, and toys must also be purchased. Not to be forgotten are new clothes for children and firecrackers to welcome in the New Year.
春節的購物清單包括肉、禽、蛋、水果和蔬菜、大米和麵粉、香菸、酒、糖、茶、紅紙、神馬圖和灶神。香、燭、小吃、新日曆和玩具也必須購買。孩子們的新衣服和迎接新年的鞭炮也是不能夠忘記的。
provision
英 [prəˈvɪʒn] 美 [prəˈvɪʒn]
n. 規定；條款；準備；[經] 供應品
vt. 供給…食物及必需品
poultry
英 [ˈpəʊltri] 美 [ˈpoʊltri]
n. 家禽
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