Why is Laba Festival?

In the old society, when we entered the twelfth lunar month, the popular ballads in many places in China were accompanied by a sentence, "Don't be greedy for children, you will be old after Laba." After the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, people all over the country really stepped up their preparations for the New Year, such as buying new year's goods and sweeping dust. So why is there such a saying that "it is a year after Laba Festival"? Let the old almanac bring you the sayings of folk experts.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the traditional Laba Festival in China. Folklorists say that Laba originated from the ancient custom of offering sacrifices to gods and praying for a bumper harvest. Because its theme is close to the Spring Festival and the time is near, there is a saying that it is "the year after Laba".

Folklore scholars pointed out that in ancient China, people called the winter sacrifice to gods and ancestors "Dara", and the day of the winter sacrifice was called "La Ri". The specific time of "La Ri" has been changed several times. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was gradually defined as "the twelfth lunar month". For example, in the Chronicle of Jingchu, which was written in the 6th century, it was recorded that December 8th was the twelfth lunar month.

Folklore scholars also said that in addition to offering sacrifices, the custom of dispelling diseases and evil spirits in traditional Laba folk customs also coincides with the theme of resigning the old year and welcoming the new year in the Spring Festival. For example, there is a record in Zhou Li that Laba held a "big Nuo" ceremony. Later, with the development of the times, the above-mentioned rituals gradually became secular and evolved into folk customs such as "beating the night" and "jumping the kitchen king", which have been preserved in some areas to this day.

Besides, as a traditional festival in China, the spread of Laba is closely related to Buddhism. According to scholars' research, after the Han Dynasty, with the introduction of Buddhism, people gradually regarded Laba porridge as Buddha Sakyamuni's "Day of Enlightenment and Becoming a Buddha", and even called Laba porridge "Buddha porridge" in some places. Among them, japonica rice, red beans, jujube, purple rice, walnut kernel and other ingredients symbolize eighteen arhats.

Scholars believe that the popularity of Laba Festival among the people is not unrelated to the traditional values of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in China, but also reflects people's simple desire for family reunion, happiness and peace, which coincides with the theme of the Spring Festival.

Folklore scholars said that nowadays, with the accelerated pace of life, the festive atmosphere is relatively faded, but as the Spring Festival approaches, most families begin to prepare for the Spring Festival after Laba. There is also a folk saying that "Laba porridge, after drinking for a few days, is 23 miles". As soon as the off-year of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is over, it has completely entered the "Spring Festival time".