The God of Kitchen, also called Zaowangye or Zao Jun in Chinese, is a supernatural being that has magic power and is in charge of diet in ancient Chinese folktale. He is also appointed by the Jade Emperor to report the family’s behavior during the previous year, which will determine their fate in the next year.
The God of Kitchen originated from the worship of fire. During the period of Han Dynasty (202BC~220), the God was personified and was given new responsibility (supervising the family’s behavior). In ancient times, it was not clear that whether the God was a man or woman. However, most people believed the God of Kitchen was a male god.
In order to show the respect for the god, the axes and knives are not allowed to be placed on the cooking stove. Complaining in front of the image of the god is also regarded as the lack of respect. It is said that on December 24th of each year, he will go to the heaven to report the family’s behavior. Therefore, people always make numerous offerings to him in the evening of December 23rd. They always prepare different kinds of candies for him as they believed that the candies will sweeten the god’s tongue to make a good report.
In ancient times, the paper images of the God of Kitchen were usually hung throughout the year near the family’s stove. Nowadays, people still worship him, who is regarded as the symbol of happiness.
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