In the North, Xiaonian is on the twenty-third day of the last lunar month.
Since ancient times, there's been a saying: officials on the twenty-third, commoners on the twenty-fourth, and sailors on the twenty-fifth. Meaning, government families celebrate the Kitchen Festival on the twenty-third day of the last lunar month, the common people on the twenty-fourth, and the sailors on the twenty-fifth.
Because the North was often the political center, gradually, common families also began to celebrate on the twenty-third.
Conversely, in the South, it's still on the twenty-fourth, and in remote fishing villages, some celebrate on the twenty-fourth while others on the twenty-fifth.
Comparatively, the Northern Xiaonian or Kitchen God Festival is more lively and is sometimes called the Small New Year's Eve.
The ancestors of the Manchu people didn't have this festival, but after entering China, they were assimilated by the Han people, and so Xiaonian became a fairly important festival.
