Shanxi New Year Custom: Sesame Candy on Minor New Year

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is China’s traditional Minor New Year (Xiaonian), marking the official beginning of the Spring Festival celebrations. In Shanxi, the most representative custom on this day is the making and eating of sesame candy (matang). This tradition is closely tied to the ritual of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God and showcases the distinctive features of Shanxi’s local food culture.

Minor New Year, also known as the Kitchen God Festival, is widely observed in northern China through rituals dedicated to the Kitchen God and the consumption of sesame candy. According to folk belief, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God ascends to heaven to report the conduct of each household to the Jade Emperor. By offering sticky and sweet sesame candy, people hope to “seal” the Kitchen God’s mouth, encouraging him to “speak well of the family in heaven and ensure peace and safety upon returning to the mortal world.” This practice reflects a wish for household safety and smooth fortunes in the coming year.

Shanxi-style sesame candy primarily uses maltose as its base, often supplemented with local specialties such as oat flour, corn flour, barley, and broomcorn millet. The production process involves nearly ten steps, including soaking grains, steaming, fermenting, boiling the syrup, pulling the candy, and shaping it—a craft preserved through generations of traditional handmaking techniques. The finished candy comes in various forms: round melon-shaped pieces, long stick-shaped ones, some filled with syrup, and others coated with roasted soy flour or sesame seeds. It has a pale yellow hue, adorned with delicate patterns on the surface. In the winter cold, the candy hardens into a crisp and brittle texture, with fine bubbles inside creating a sweet, crunchy, and fragrant flavor.

During Minor New Year, the calls of sesame candy vendors can be heard in the streets and alleys of Shanxi, while workshops are filled with the aroma of boiling syrup. This custom not only adds sweetness to the festive season but also carries the historical memory of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God. The making and consumption of sesame candy serve as a cultural bridge connecting tradition and modernity, as well as the material and spiritual dimensions of life.

Today, the custom of eating sesame candy during Minor New Year continues in Shanxi. It remains an important part of the New Year rituals and reflects the preservation of folk craftsmanship and regional culture. A simple piece of sesame candy embodies people’s humble wishes for peace and good fortune, setting the stage for the arrival of the Spring Festival with quiet anticipation.

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Source: Comprehensive collation by sx.china.com