Keywords integrated: Xia Qingzi - Chinese New Year Thanksgiving Festival, rituals, ancestral gratitude, La Yue, Kitchen God, Tudi Gong, Spring Festival prelude.
During Xia Qingzi, families prepare san sheng (three sacrifices: pork, chicken, and fish). Chopsticks are placed upright in rice bowls, and incense smoke curls toward portraits of grandparents. This is not a somber mourning but a joyful reunion. Families thank the ancestors for the family’s survival through winter and for the seeds that will be planted in spring. Before industrialization, China was an agrarian society. Xia Qingzi coincides with the end of the winter solstice period. Farmers thank the Earth God (Tudi Gong) for the year’s harvest. A unique ritual involves sweeping the threshing ground and placing a small offering of glutinous rice cakes ( ci ba ) into the soil.
By: Cultural Heritage Desk
This act is a literal "thanksgiving meal" for the earth. It acknowledges that the ground has given its nutrients to the people and must be "fed" in return before it rests for the spring thaw. The third pillar is the most unique. In Chinese folk religion, if a prayer was answered during the year (e.g., a sick relative recovered, a son passed an exam), the worshipper owes a "vow" to the gods. Xia Qingzi is the deadline for clearing these debts. You cannot enter the New Year owing spiritual gratitude. This often involves burning paper replicas of the promised items (horses, houses, or money) as a final "thank you" to the deities. Rituals of the Xia Qingzi Festival If you were to visit a traditional village during the Xia Qingzi - Chinese New Year Thanksgiving Festival , here is what you would witness: The Thanksgiving Feast (Not on the New Year) Unlike the massive New Year’s Eve dinner, the Xia Qingzi feast is smaller, more intimate, and silent at the start. The meal begins with a Jing Cha (敬茶) – a tea offering. Then, the head of the household kneels before the altar. Notably, the dogs and cats of the house are also fed first on this day, as a traditional proverb states: "Thank the creatures of the house before you fill your own mouth." The "Red List" Writing Households write down the names of all the people who helped them during the year—the neighbor who lent a tool, the doctor who made a house call, or the stranger who returned a lost wallet. These names are placed on the family altar. During Xia Qingzi, the family visits each person on the list to offer a small gift (usually a tangerine and a piece of candy). This social thanksgiving strengthens community bonds before the New Year. Cleaning with a Purpose While general spring cleaning happens before New Year’s Day (to sweep out bad luck), Xia Qingzi cleaning is different. It is called Sweeping the Thanks (扫谢). Families sweep toward the center of the house, not out the door. By gathering dust inward, they symbolically collect the "blessings of the past year" into the heart of the home. The "Qingzi" Connection to the Kitchen God The timing of Xia Qingzi is intrinsically linked to the Kitchen God ( Zao Jun ). On the 23rd or 24th of the 12th lunar month, the Kitchen God departs for heaven to report on the family’s behavior.
The acts as a "character witness." Before the god leaves, the family performs a thanksgiving ritual to thank him for his presence all year. They smear honey on his paper image (to sweeten his words) and burn it. They are, in essence, saying: "Thank you for watching over us. Please tell the Jade Emperor we are grateful." Why Is It Called a "Thanksgiving Festival" for Modern Chinese? In 2024, the Chinese government and cultural scholars began promoting the concept of "Chinese Thanksgiving" to counter the cultural creep of Western holidays like Halloween and November’s Thanksgiving. The Xia Qingzi - Chinese New Year Thanksgiving Festival was revived as a native alternative.
Whether you are in a high-rise in Hong Kong or a farmhouse in Yunnan, observe this day. Light the incense. Eat the porridge. Sweep the dust inward. And give a quiet, profound, Chinese "thank you."
As you prepare for the Year of the Snake or the next Dragon, remember the wisdom of Xia Qingzi: Do not ask for fortune if you have not given thanks for last year’s. By honoring the past—your ancestors, the earth, and the helping hands of neighbors—you clear the path for genuine prosperity in the spring.