Laba Festival (Chinese: 臘八節) is the most important festival of the twelfth Chinese lunar month, and it was called "La Day" in ancient times, commonly known as "Laba Festival". Laba Festival falls on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and is always in mid-January.
Since the pre-Qin Dynasty (770 B.C. - 221 B.C.), the Laba Festival has been used to worship ancestors and gods and to pray for a good harvest and good fortune for the year. The tradition of eating Laba porridge on Laba Festival began in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) and is meant to promote the good qualities of hard work and thrift.
In many parts of China, people will drink a bowl of hot Laba porridge at the Laba Festival, and there are also food customs such as soaking Laba garlic, eating Laba noodles and drying Laba tofu in different areas.
Laba porridge
Traditionally, the Laba porridge is the most important element of the festival. Generally, the porridge contains eight ingredients, which can include glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almond and peanut, etc. Since the earliest beginning of the Song Dynasty, this porridge has been popular in royal courts, local authorities, temples, and ordinary families.
Laba garlic
Another custom is the soaking of Laba garlic. The practice is straightforward. Put the stripped garlic cloves into a sealed jar and pour vinegar into it. Gradually, the color of those garlic cloves will turn green. By the time of the Spring Festival, you can taste the garlic while eating dumplings.
Laba noodles
In some places of the North that do not produce or produce less rice, people eat Laba noodles instead of Laba porridge. One day before the festival, people cut up various fruits and vegetables and prepared the noodle roll. Then, the whole family can eat the Laba noodles on the morning of the Laba Festival.
Laba tofu
The Laba tofu is the folk specialty of Qian County in Anhui province. Before the Laba Festival, they will dry tofu in open space.
(By Yang Jiming/Qi Qian)
