Kitchen God Festival

It is said that whenever you pass by the hearth of a New Territories village house, you will usually see a small altar dedicated to the Kitchen God.

According to folklore, every year on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, the Kitchen God returns to Heaven to report to the Jade Emperor, recounting human affairs to determine rewards and punishments. Villagers prepare offerings such as wine, sugar, pork, and money to "bribe" the Kitchen God, in a custom known as "worshipping the Kitchen God".

Customary practices differ from region to region, but they usually include sweet treat that is both sugary and sticky. For example, Cha Kwo, glutinous rice balls and sugarcane are commonly used, symbolising a "sweet mouth" that will speak well and effectively "seal" the Kitchen God’s lips to prevent unfavourable remarks.

After the rituals are completed and the Kitchen God has returned to the heavenly court, the "pre-New Year preparation" phase begins. During this period, villagers set aside agricultural work and focus instead on New Year activities, such as cleaning the kitchen, steaming round baskey rice cake, preparing festive items and putting up Spring Festival couplets.