The New Year in Fire Knife Village began with the worship of the Stove God.
Legend had it that on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month, the Stove God ascended to Heaven to report the moral deeds of the mortal realm to the Jade Emperor. On this day, the common people would prepare generous offerings to send off Lord Stove, hoping that his mouth could be at their mercy, so he would play down their misdeeds and speak kindly on their behalf before the Jade Emperor.
This custom carried a sense of shrewdness but was taken very seriously by every household. Establishments like restaurants, which were under the direct protection of Lord Stove throughout the year, naturally could not afford to neglect it.
