What are the customs and meanings of Laba Festival?

Customs of Laba Festival: People will eat Laba porridge on this day. Laba porridge was first recorded in the Song Dynasty. Wu's Dream in the Southern Song Dynasty says: "On the eighth day of this month, the temple name is Laba. Dasha and other temples have five-flavored porridge called Laba porridge. " China has been drinking Laba porridge for more than 1000 years. On Laba Day, government agencies, monasteries and ordinary people's homes will cook Laba porridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge became more popular.

Moral of Laba Festival: In northern China, there is a saying that "Don't be greedy for children, it is the year after Laba". After Laba, it means the beginning of a new year. Every Laba Festival, the northern region is busy peeling garlic to make vinegar, soaking Laba garlic and eating Laba porridge. Laba is rarely mentioned in the south, and Laba Festival is a typical northern festival.

Extended data:

Laba Festival is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Legend has it that it originated in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang was hungry and cold when he was in trouble and suffering in prison. Zhu Yuanzhang actually dug up seven or eight kinds of miscellaneous grains such as red beans, rice and red dates from the mouse hole in the prison.

Zhu Yuanzhang cooked these things into porridge. Because it is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Yuanzhang euphemistically called this pot of miscellaneous grains porridge Laba porridge. I enjoyed a delicious meal. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang pacified the world and became the emperor facing south. In order to commemorate that special day in prison, he designated it as Laba Festival and officially named the miscellaneous grains porridge he ate that day Laba porridge.