Little New Year's Eve; night before Lunar New Year's Eve
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
the night before Lunar New Year's Eve (the 30th day of the 12th lunar month)
Commonly used in southern China (e.g., Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang) to refer to the night before New Year's Eve.
On Little New Year's Eve, our whole family sat together eating tangyuan.
On the evening of Little New Year's Eve, every household was preparing ingredients for the New Year's Eve dinner.
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The Jiangnan region particularly values Little New Year's Eve, considering it also a day for family reunion.
noun
the 23rd or 24th day of the 12th lunar month (Little New Year); the day of the Kitchen God Festival
archaicTraditional usage referring to the 'Little New Year' itself, particularly in northern China where the 23rd is celebrated. This usage is considered somewhat archaic or regional compared to the first meaning.
In old customs, on Little New Year, people would worship the Kitchen God and send him to heaven.
Northerners take the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month as Little New Year, when they sweep dust and eat stove candy.
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Traditionally, Little New Year marked the beginning of the busy season, when people started preparing New Year's goods.