Beijing, Feb. 11 - About 100,000 Beijing residents took their brooms outdoors on Saturday for a "Clean City" drive to mark traditional Chinese "Little New Year" --- a week before "New Year," or Spring Festival, Xinhua reported.

 

Volunteer environmental inspectors could also be seen in the streets, dissuading citizens from uncivil behavior such as spitting and littering.

 

The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called "xiao nian" in Chinese, which literally means "Little New Year." Traditionally it is an important occasion when people offer sacrifices to the "Kitchen God" who looks after the family's fortunes.

 

According to traditional Chinese beliefs, the "Kitchen God" goes up to heaven to give his annual report to the "Jade Emperor," the supreme leader, about the family's activities over the past year. The god returns to his freshly cleaned shrine on New Year's Eve.

 

"Little New Year" is also a day for families to carefully and thoroughly clean their houses so that they are bright and clean --polishing the furniture, cleaning walls and sweeping floors.