The god of the stove, also known as the Lord of the Stove and the Star of the Stove, has a long history of belief in the god of the stove in ancient times.
As early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, people have begun to worship the god of the stove, and it is recorded in the "Book of Rites and Moon Order": "The ritual of worshipping the stove is set up in the stove." The "Lord" here refers to the object of sacrifice - the god of the stove, in ancient sacrifices, the god of the stove was regarded as the protector of the family, able to bless the whole family with peace, health and happiness.
There are various legends about the origin of the god of the stove, among which the more popular theory is that the god of the stove was originally an ordinary housewife, because of her kindness, hard work, love and selflessness, she was named the god of the stove by the emperor after her death, responsible for guarding the safety and happiness of the family.
Another theory is that the god of the stove was a heroic figure in ancient times, because of his bravery, wisdom and justice, he was named the god of the stove by the emperor after his death, guarding the peace of thousands of households.
In folklore, the god of the stove also has the magical ability to convey various messages to people through the sound of the fire burning, such as that if the fire burns very strongly, it means that the fortune of the family is good;If the flame is flickering, it means that something bad will happen in the home, so people often observe the "voice" of the stove god to ** the good and bad things in the future.
In the southern region, people will worship the god of the stove on the twenty-third or twenty-fourth of the lunar month every year, called "send the stove" or "the stove", on this day, people will prepare offerings to the king of the stove, the most important of which is the sugar of the stove, which means that the king of the stove will say good things to the sky, at the same time, people will also paste a red paper on the wall of the kitchen, and the book "the heavens say good things, and the lower world will keep the peace", which means praying for the god of the stove to bless the whole family with peace, health and happiness.
In the northern region, people will also be in the 23rd or 20th of the lunar month every year to carry out the "sacrificial stove" activities, called "send the stove prince to heaven", on this day, people will paste a red paper on the wall of the kitchen, on the book "God says good things, return to the palace to be auspicious", meaning to pray for the stove god to bless the whole family auspicious, people will also prepare offerings to the stove king, the most important of which is sugar melon or Kanto sugar and other foods, meaning to make the stove king sweet in the heart.
In addition to the above legends and Xi, there are many folk tales and proverbs related to the god Vesta, such as, "Heaven says good things, the lower world keeps peace", "Lord Stove goes to heaven, say more good words", "Sacrifice to the stove Guan Gong, tell good words" and so on, these proverbs and folk tales express people's belief and reverence for the god Vesta.