Folk customs of Chinese Lunar New Year in C China

An actor acting as the Kitchen God boils dumplings for citizens during a temple fair in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, Jan. 28, 2006. In Chinese mythology, the Kitchen God is the most important of a plethora of Chinese domestic gods that protect the hearth and family. It is believed that on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, just before Chinese Lunar New Year he returns to Heaven to report the activities of every household over the past year to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor, emperor of the heaven, either rewards or punishes a family based on Kitchen God's yearly report. (Xinhua/Wang Song)