Things you may not know about Laba festival

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Today is Laba, a traditional Chinese festival that falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month. If you are in China, you may find Chinese people celebrating the festival by eating Laba garlic and Laba porridge. 

Here are something you should know about Laba festival.

What is Laba festival

As a traditional Chinese festival celebrated by Han nationality, Laba festival is regarded as the prelude to Chinese Spring Festival. It falls on the eighth day of the twelfth month of Chinese lunar calendar (usually in January). The twelfth month is called "La month" (腊月) and eight is pronounced as "Ba" in Chinese. So, the festival is thus named. 

As people make and eat rice porridges to celebrate the day, it is named Rice Porridge Festival as well.

The origin of Laba festival

One said that Laba festival was originated from ceremonies of sacrificing to the ancestors and celebrating the harvest. In the old times, sacrificing to the ancestors is called La and usually happened on the twelfth month (La month). It was until Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD) that the activities had a fixed day — the eighth day.

The other said it was related to Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. Legend said that it was on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month that Sakyamuni attained enlightenment and became a Buddha. To commemorate this, people eat porridge to make offerings to the Buddha every year, and the porridge was called "Laba porridge".

Customs and traditions

Main traditions for Laba festival are eating Laba porridge and making Laba garlic.

Laba Porridge

Mainly popular in northeast China, northwest China and Jiangnan regions (south of the Yangtze River), Laba porridge is an essential food for the festival. Since Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), it has had the custom of eating Laba porridge. During Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), emperors usually offered Laba porridges to their officials and common people made it for sacrificing to their ancestors. 

Buddhist temples offer Laba porridges to the poor to show their faith to the Buddha, which becomes a routine for temples nowadays.

Laba porridge usually contains glutinous rice, wheat, corn, dried dates, lotus seeds, peanuts, loongan meat, red beans, peas, millet, raisins and some other ingredients. It was mostly made with eight ingredients and boiled as the way to boil the common porridge. After the porridge is done, it can be sent to relatives and friends, better before noon. Besides, to left some porridge is good, as it means there will be leftovers each year.

Laba garlic

Making Laba garlic is a custom in northern China, which is very easy to make. The ingredients are garlic and vinegar. After peeling the garlic, putting it in a jar, and filling it with vinegar (sugar can also be added), the rest is to wait. Almost twenty days later, the garlic will become green. People usually eat it together with the dumplings on Spring Festival's Eve.

Source: yourchineseastrology.com

Happy Laba festival and enjoy your porridge!

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