1. Xiaonian usually refers to the day of sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to the stove. It is regarded as the beginning of the "busy year". Due to different customs in the north and south, the days known as "Little New Year" are also different. Traditionally, the Small New Year (the day for sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to kitchen stoves) falls on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. In most parts of the south, the tradition of celebrating the Small New Year on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is still maintained.

2. Xiaonian has different concepts and dates in different places. In the north, it is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, and in most areas in the south, it is the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, both the "twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month" and "the night before New Year's Eve" are called Xiaonian. In Nanjing, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is called Xiaonian. In 2017, the Little New Year date is on the 16th day of the first lunar month in some areas of Yunnan, and the Little New Year date is New Year's Eve in some areas in the southwest and north.