In Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology; the Kitchen God Zao Jun is the most important of a plethora of Chinese domestic gods that protect the hearth and family. It is believed that on the twenty third day of the twelfth lunar month; just before Chinese New Year he returns to Heaven to report the activities of every household over the past year to Yu Huang; the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor; emperor of the heavens; either rewards or punishes a family based on this yearly report. Zao Jun is celebrated in Vietnamese culture as Tao Quan.